Tatooine Surprise
by LPK9
Summary: Darth Vader just misses capturing Princess Leia on the Tantive IV above Tatooine, sparking a massive search for her and the Death Star plans on the planet below. To Vader's complete shock, he discovers family on the sun scorched planet of his youth. AU starting at the beginning of a New Hope. Now with Epilogue!
1. Chapter 1

_Author Note: I have not seen the Rogue One movie so this is based on the original and prequel trilogies._

 _I don't own Star Wars, obviously!_

 _Darth Vader's Star Destroyer Devastator_

"Lord Vader!"

Darth Vader turned in irritation. He had captured the _Tantive IV_ eight hours ago, and found no trace of the missing Death Star plans on board. Nor had Princess Leia Organa been found. A brief but thorough interrogation of the Rebel captain had revealed that the Princess had escaped the _Tantive IV_ a mere 10 minutes before Vader's Star Destroyer had come out of hyperspace and attacked the Rebel ship.

Vader had troops scouring the surface of Tatooine's sandy plains in search of Princess Leia, but thus far had found only traces and tantalizing leads, not the Princess or the plans.

Governor Wilhuff Tarkin was angry. Several hours ago, Vader had endured a supremely annoying conversation with the cadaverous old man, filled with Tarkin's superior gibes about Vader's incompetence. If Palpatine hadn't placed his mantle of protection on Tarkin, Vader might have been able to summon the Force power to strangle the man over the necessary parsecs.

Emperor Palpatine was probably even more angry, but fortunately Vader hadn't had to talk to him.

He turned to the officer who was approaching him on the bridge. The man looked harried, which brought the Dark Lord some small measure of satisfaction.

When he was unhappy, everyone else on board had better be unhappy too.

"My Lord, we received a report from the surface of Tatooine. It appears that Princess Leia was found by a patrol, but the patrol was destroyed by her companions."

Vader looked at the officer with disdain, "Send four additional patrols to her location. If she has moved position, follow her."

Really, that was Imperial Tracking 101. Why did Vader have to say it? (Of course, he could go down there himself. But…no, surely that wasn't necessary. Surely he wouldn't have to descend to that cursed planet himself.)

"My Lord, there is a particularly disturbing facet to the destruction of the patrol. It appears that…it appears that a Force user is supporting the princess. The individual used a lightsaber…"

Vader froze in disbelief, then, shoving the man out the way with a Force push, strode over to a large screen.

"Show me the video feed," he barked.

Another officer fumbled for a few moments, and the screen lit up. The picture was stable, which indicated it was from a sensor mounted on a shuttle instead of on a stormtrooper.

Vader watched as a group of stormtroopers entered a typical set of Tatooine dwellings on an all too typical moisture farm. The buildings were the familiar earth color of his youth, and the sand spread as far as the screen allowed.

Vader could almost feel the sand against his face, the sand that got into everything, the sand that blinded eyes and closed up the mouth and the nose. The sand that buried everything with slow, methodical, deliberation.

How he hated the sand.

There were a few calm moments showing troopers cautiously entering various buildings, and coming out empty handed. But after a few minutes, several troopers emerged from the largest building with three prisoners in bonds.

Vader leaned forward eagerly. Two prisoners he dismissed from consideration immediately. They were old, no doubt beyond their years, worn from long years toiling in the hot sun of Tatooine. But the third – yes, it was definitely the princess of Alderaan, Leia Organa! Two troopers were guiding droids, a protocol droid and an R2 unit. (Memories of similar droids tugged at him, but he firmly pushed those remembrances into his subconscious.)

The princess was pushed near the shuttle, close enough that Vader was able to pick up voices above the winds of the desert.

A black clad Imperial officer, the leader of the patrol, stepped forward and grabbed her chin, tilting it upwards.

"How very pleasant to see you, Princess Leia Organa. Lord Vader is most eager to welcome you to his ship. It is regrettable that you left the _Tantive IV_ so quickly, or your meeting with him would have occurred far sooner."

The princess replied with typical spirit, "The Imperial Senate will not sit still for Lord Vader's interference with my movements, Captain…"

Her words were abruptly cut off by the sound of a lightsaber springing to life. Vader heard yells from the patrol, and then a robed figure sprang into view, blue lightsaber flashing. The princess and her two fellow prisoners dove for the ground, and within two minutes all the troopers were dead. The princess rolled to her feet and picked up a discarded blaster, pointing it at the photosensor and discharging it. The image went black.

Ignoring the officers and men gathered around him on the bridge, Vader ran the video again, slowing it to quarter speed when the lightsaber wielding individual came into view. The robed figure's face and form were obscured for most of the fight, but he could estimate the height based on the standard height of troopers. More importantly, the fighting style, when adjusted for the infirmities of age, was very familiar.

Again, he backed up the recording, and moved it frame by frame by frame until…

Yes, for one moment, the robe's hood shifted and light played across a face old but familiar.

Obi-wan Kenobi.

Vader gritted his teeth. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to descend to the surface of the planet of his youth. He had been hunting Kenobi for almost two decades. He would not let him slip away from him again.

"Bring my shuttle," he ordered coldly, and walked rapidly to the main docking bay of the _Devastator._

Less than an hour later, his shuttle was closing in on the farm where Kenobi and Organa had been spotted. He had no expectation of his former master still being there, but it was a starting point. He would likely be able to pick up a Force trail once he arrived at the location where Kenobi had appeared after 19 years of silence.

19 years. 19 years since Kenobi and Vader had fought on the shores of the lava flows of Mustafar, 19 years since his former master had severed 3 limbs and left him to burn nearly to death. 19 years since the love of his life and their unborn child had perished at his own hand.

He clenched his hands as the familiar agony of guilt and rage and grief struggled to overwhelm him. Again, he pushed it down, forcing himself to use his internal agony to power the Dark Side, to reach out with it. Kenobi would no doubt be shielding, but now that Vader knew he was here…

What was this? Vader stilled, aware of a sudden and dramatic shift in the currents of the Force.

Yes, he was sensing someone, but not Kenobi! Directly ahead, where the moisture farm lay in its parched glory, Vader could sense a beacon of power in the Light Side of the Force. There was a Force user there, but whoever he was, it was not Kenobi. He sensed youth, and limited training.

Who could it be?

He strode to the cockpit of his shuttle and peered into the distance. The suns were sinking towards the horizon, though he knew from experience that the heat of the day was still oppressive. His mechanized breathing increased the tension of his pilots, which was good. The sooner they arrived, the better.

The shuttle landed, and Vader strode down the off ramp as soon as it settled into the shifting sands.

At the bottom of the ramp and 15 meters away, was a squad of stormtroopers, led by another black clad officer. Vader noticed, peripherally, that the bodies of the previous squad had been hauled off and were being cremated, to disguise the death of Imperial stormtroopers at the hand of a hostile Force user. The farm too was being burned to the ground.

The stormtroopers were surrounding two figures, both on their knees, both with hands bound in front of them. One figure was small and cloaked, too small to be Kenobi. Vader focused on the other individual. It was a youth, hardly more than a child. The red tinted visual scanning apparatus in Vader's helmet did not allow him to easily analyze color, but the young man seemed to have blond hair and was thin and wiry. He was dressed in the typical loose garb of the human natives of Tatooine. Vader noted absently his face was marred by a black eye and several developing bruises, which meant either he had resisted arrest, or been battered in an attempt to get answers out of him. Vader tensed slightly. For this scrawny boy was the source of the raw Force presence Vader had sensed. He was _incredibly_ strong. He was like a nova in the Force. How had Vader missed this boy? How had the Emperor himself?

The officer stepped forward, interrupting Vader's musings.

"My Lord, there is no sign of Princess Leia or her companions. These two prisoners were discovered in the main building of this complex. They claim to have no knowledge of Organa's whereabouts. The woman seems to be intellectually limited but the boy is smart enough, and I am certain he knows more than he is telling. Our resources here are limited, and I would advise that he be transported back to the _Devastator_ for further interrogation."

This sensible statement provoked a violent reaction from the cloaked figure.

"No, no, please don't hurt him, no!"

The voice was… the voice was familiar. Incredulously, Darth Vader stepped forward even as the woman threw her head back, causing the hood to slide off her head.

For a brief moment, Darth Vader thought his heart would stop.

19 years rolled away in an instant.

There were new wrinkles, and the hair had streaks of gray, but the face was the face of his Angel.

His vocoder barely picked up his croaked, incredulous question.

" _Padme_?"


	2. Chapter 2

Padme (it was Padme, it was!) stared at him with horrified, widened eyes.

"Please, sir, please, don't hurt him. Please, I beg you!"

Vader felt a sudden surge of jealous anger as he looked at the child beside her. Who was this youth who had earned the love and devotion of _his_ wife!

He took an angry step toward the boy, only to have Padme cry out in even more anguish.

"No, no, no!"

The boy stood up and moved in front of Padme, tilting his head up to stare at the Dark Lord.

"Please stop, Lord Vader," the youth said, his eyes (incredibly enough) meeting Vader's own behind the mask, "You are frightening her."

Vader did stop. The young man was fearful, he could tell that, but he was also brave and obviously cared deeply for Padme. And he was right. Padme was terrified of him. He could sense it. Of course, she didn't know who he was. He could tell that as well. There was no familiarity at all.

(She had been terrified of him in those last moments on Mustafar too, when his love turned to rage and he had choked her. He had thought, he had known, she had died there. Who had deceived him for 19 long years?)

"What is your name?" Vader demanded after a moment.

The boy lifted his chin and spoke proudly and defiantly, "My name is Luke Skywalker. Padme is my mother."

Vader actually wobbled in shock.

Padme…Padme was alive. So the baby could have lived. The baby. This boy. _His son_?

Of course! The power focused in this boy could come from a Skywalker. And Kenobi had been here. Perhaps Kenobi had hidden his wife and son here on this barren wasteland, knowing that Vader was unlikely to come here?

He reached out through the Force. The boy was so bright that it was painful to draw near to his vibrant presence, but he had to know. To his surprise, carefully erected shields yielded easily before him. The child's presence was like Padme. And like…Anakin. The child was his son. His son!

Padme was now sobbing hysterically, and he focused briefly on her. (It was surprisingly hard – her boy, his boy, _their_ boy– was so bright in the Force that it was distracting even to a powerful Force user like Vader.)

Padme…Padme was not well. While he could sense the basic essence of his beloved wife, there was a mass of fuzzy confusion and muddled thinking and bewildered terror roiling around in her spirit.

He looked at the young one. Luke?

(Luke had been the name they had chosen for the child, if they had a son. Yes, Luke. Light Giving. Ironic that a Dark Lord of the Sith would have a child named Light Giving.)

"Your mother," he said in a controlled tone, "Is she ill?"

The boy Luke looked at Padme with concern, "She took a powerful medication 24 hours ago to help with her brain injury of 19 years ago. It isn't safe for her to be awake and she's not entirely… lucid. She needs medical attention immediately."

Vader shook himself. Regardless of the shattering revelations he was enduring, he needed to act. His wife needed medical help. He stepped forward again, and she flinched in terror.

Rather to his surprise, the youth put his bound hands on Padme's arm and said gently, "It's all right, Mother. Don't be afraid. He'll take us to a doctor to help you."

Vader turned to the officer, "Take them both to the shuttle immediately. Be _exceedingly_ careful with both of them. No harm must come to either of them."

He watched as both walked onto the shuttle, followed by the patrol.

For a long moment, he looked around him at the farm burning to the ground. His life had changed so quickly, so suddenly, that he was aware his thinking was not clear. He had to make good decisions. He mustn't act on impulse, as he had so often in the past.

As he had on Mustafar, when he attacked Padme.

He gave one last look at the region surrounding him, and stilled in amazement. He knew this place. This was the Lars' farm. His mother Shmi had lived here, had been buried here. His heart beat on, mechanically, steadily, but his mind was a shaky whirl of wonder and amazement. Here, on this cursed sandy ground, where he had laid to rest his beloved mother, he had just found his wife…and his son.

Yes, his wife and son were alive.

The galaxy was suddenly much brighter.

-/-/-/-/

Doctor Lenz Sert finished applying the bacta patch to his stormtrooper patient, then stepped back.

"The wound will be 90% healed in 24 hours. Until then, you are excused from normal duty. Come back in a day and I'll replace the patch, and you can resume typical activities."

The stormtrooper, AD46, nodded and stood up, "Thank you, sir."

Sert stepped back and absently watched his patient leave, and then leaned over to update AD46's medical record. He shook his head as he entered the cause of the injury.

"Patient AD46 experienced a 10 cm. burn to his upper back during an off duty brawl…"

He erased the word 'brawl' and substituted "altercation following a game of sabacc. AD46 was knocked into a portable heating unit in his quarters in Section 8. Section 8 recently experienced a malfunction of central heat, necessitating portable heating. Recommend that…"

He sighed as a beep interrupted him. He stiffened as he heard the captain of the _Devastator_ address him on the com.

"Doctor Sert? Lord Vader orders that you report to the high security bay of the medical wing immediately."

Sert leaped to his feet, all his late shift exhaustion instantly gone. He had only seen the Dark Lord twice during his time here on the _Devastato_ r, as medical staff quarters were in a section of the ship rarely traversed by Lord Vader.

The high security medical wing meant prisoners, and prisoners with injuries. Sert cringed inside, though he kept his face stoic as he tidied his work area, called his on call relief, and hurried to the secure med bay. He had become a doctor to help the ill and injured, but the harsh reality of Imperial life was that at times, he had been forced to medicate and repair prisoners who had been deliberately harmed. The fact that Vader was involved was especially troubling, one because he was so ruthless, two because Sert's own antipathy to torture would be difficult to conceal from a man who was reputed to be able to read minds.

However, obviously Sert had no choice. When he arrived at the currently empty high security med bay, he was cheered to see Medic Fentesto waiting for him. Fentesto was an experienced medic in his late 50's, with gray hair and a patient demeanor. Whatever challenges awaited them all, Fentesto would be a calming influence.

Sert checked the med bay to be sure that all the supplies were stocked up, and then looked at his holopad just as a message came through.

He looked at Fentesto, "We have two patients coming in. A female in her 40's, with unspecified head trauma and an older teen male with possible injuries."

Even as he finished his sentence, the door slid open and a bedraggled youth stepped in with two stormtroopers flanking him. The blond young man had a swelling black eye and other facial bruising, and was manacled. Behind him was a hoverbed with the still form of a woman, and following them all was Darth Vader himself.

Sert and Fentesto stiffened to attention. Vader followed the hoverbed as it was moved to one side of the room, and stared down at his beloved Padme. How still she was…

He looked at Doctor Sert.

"Doctor, this woman needs immediate medical attention. Give her all appropriate care. Her survival and well being are your highest priority."

Sert moved over to the woman and began scanning her still form. With no data at all, he hoped he could determine the situation…

The blond prisoner spoke, "She had a dose of the drug CGA1629 at 1400 hours local time yesterday, so about 26 hours ago, in an attempt to reverse brain damage from a brain bleed during my birth."

Sert glanced at the young man, mind whirling. So this was his mother? And CGA1629? Oh yes!

"Has she regained consciousness since then?"

The youth's face twisted but his voice was calm, though strained, "A squad of stormtroopers forced their way into her room at 23 hours, 55 minutes and woke her up. I tried to stop them but…"

The manacled hands waved slightly, gesturing at his battered countenance.

He continued, "But she almost made it to the 24 hour mark."

Darth Vader spoke up, agitated, "Why is 24 hours important, Doctor?"

Doctor Sert turned to his superior (no, his superior's superior's superior), "My Lord, while I don't yet know the details of this case, CGA1629 is a powerful and relatively new drug that opens up new neural pathways in a patient with prior brain damage. It is vital that the patient be allowed to sleep in a totally silent room without any noise or interruption during the first 24 hours of treatment. Otherwise, the mind can be further damaged because the brain is so sensitive to stimuli. Generally, after 24 hours, the patient is gently woken up and allowed a low degree of stimuli for an additional 24 hours. The average patient can resume normal activities after 96 hours. Was the patient subjected to loud noise or any physical or emotional distress after being awakened prematurely?"

"I'm afraid so," the male prisoner said with a look of distress. He stood up and moved closer to his mother, only to be hauled back harshly be one of the troopers, provoking a soft grunt of pain.

Vader felt a surge of anger and gestured slightly, and the trooper gasped as he was pushed hard against the bulkhead.

"Let him be, and do not harm him under any circumstances."

The youth approached his mother and leaned over her, then gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

He turned back to the doctor and said, "But as soon as we boarded the shuttle, I was able to get her back to sleep. She's tougher than she looks. I hope she'll be all right."

Sert nodded and turned to Medic Fentesto, "Do a full brain scan with particular focus on possible cellular damage in the new neural pathway areas. Also, conduct a low level scan of her entire body for any other physical issues."

He turned to the youth, then looked at the Dark Lord with indecision, "Am I permitted to ask the prisoner questions, my Lord?"

Vader nodded. He would make use of any help their son could give. But…he had noticed Luke flinching more than once.

"The boy should be examined as well. Determine whether he has any injuries besides the obvious facial bruising, and provide any necessary care."

Sert sent a rapid message to another medic, who arrived within a minute. The medic began scanning the patient, while Sert pondered which questions to ask first.

"You said that she sustained a brain injury during birth. What happened?"

The young man stilled as the medic began a full body scan, and said readily enough, "I don't know all the details. She had a traumatic experience prior to my birth when she was attacked by someone, and I was born prematurely. She almost died then from a massive brain bleed, and went into a coma. She was in a coma with low level brain activity for 5 years, then in what was described as a twilight sleep for another 5 years, then she sort of woke up slowly for another 5 years, and I met her for the first time 4 years ago, when I was 15, when she could begin to carry on a conversation."

Sert concealed a wince. This woman must be a mess. 10 to 15 full years in a comatose or near comatose state? Why hadn't her relatives let this poor woman go?

He took a deep breath, "When you say a conversation, what do you mean? She is able to speak, then?"

The prisoner nodded eagerly, "Oh yes. She… she drifts in and out, you know? She gets tired very easily, and sleeps a lot. When she's tired, she doesn't make all the sense in the world. But when she has had lots of rest, she speaks very coherently. She remembers the years before my birth quite well, though not anything from the last 15 years. Except for me. She remembers me. I … I remind her of my father. I apparently look a lot like he did at my age. But she's not in a vegetative state, Doctor. And the CGA1629 had helped a great deal. This was her 7th treatment in as many months, and I have…I _had_ detailed records of how she has changed over the last 7 months. She's alert for much longer. She is, she was, healing significantly."

The prisoner shot a look at Vader, who was staring at the silent woman.

As for Vader, his son's words felt like vibroblades driven through his heart. _She was attacked by someone_ …By him! By her own husband. Poor precious dear wonderful Padme. It was amazing that she was alive, a gift that he had thought beyond his reach, but the reality of her disability due to his violent and cruel actions was devastating.

He was distracted by a sudden gasp of pain from Luke. He looked over to see the second medic gently shift his son's left arm slightly.

Sert looked at the medic, "Is he injured?"

"Yes, sir," the medic responded promptly, "The patient has a hairline fracture of the left humerus, as well as 4 broken ribs. There are also a variety of contusions and soft tissue injuries. Based on the scan, all injuries appear to be very recent, within the last 4 hours."

Vader always saw red, but now he saw redder.

"Who harmed you, young one?" he demanded.

The boy looked at him with steel in his eyes, "Your stormtroopers wanted to know about the location of the other occupants of the farm, my Lord. They were going to harm Mother, and I convinced them to turn their ire on me instead."

Vader snarled softly, causing his underlings to flinch. He forced himself to rein in his anger, however. Padme needed quiet, and those who had harmed Luke were elsewhere on the ship. They would be dealt with later.

"Do everything possible to bring the boy back to full health, and provide any necessary pain relief. "

He turned to the doctor, "What do you recommend to treat the woman?"

Sert nodded, thankful that he could speak confidently, "The protocol is for her to be allowed to sleep for at least another full 24 hours to mitigate the effects of her traumatic wakening. We will provide intravenous fluids and nutrients. If possible, her son should stay nearby so that if she does start to wake up, his presence will be a comfort to her."

Vader considered this thoughtfully, then nodded, "Very well. Doctor, you and the medic of your choice are assigned full time to these two patients. They will shortly be moved to more comfortable and safe quarters. All of you, these … prisoners…are top secret. Do not share _any_ details about them to anyone. I will input false information about both prisoners into the system, and I expect you to memorize all pertinent details in case anyone with authority asks about them. If any of you fail me in this, I _will_ know. Is that entirely clear?"

"Yes, my Lord," the three men chorused nervously.

The medic attending his son stepped forward timidly, "My Lord, this man's injuries would be better tended if we are permitted to remove the manacles."

Vader looked at his son. There had not yet been time to talk alone with Luke. He could sense that his child had received some training, and the Force was so strong in him that he might be able to break through standard security. Vader intended to substantially increase security around his wife and son, but still…

Luke stepped forward, again meeting his eyes with unnerving clarity, "I will not leave my mother while she is so ill, Lord Vader. You need not have any concern that I will attempt to escape."

Vader nodded and stepped forward. He reached out with the appropriate code cylinder and removed his son's chains.

"Treat him. I will be back shortly," he ordered, and turned to leave the room. He had sensed one of his officers hovering outside the room for the last fifteen minutes, no doubt unwilling to intrude as Vader had made it clear he was not to be disturbed.

The officer stepped forward as soon as Vader entered the corridor.

"My Lord, we have news about Princess Leia Organa."


	3. Chapter 3

_Death Star, Undisclosed Location_

Governor Wilhuff Tarkin stood ramrod straight before the window of the living area in his private quarters.

Outside, the stars shone with the brilliant clarity of deep space. The Death Star hung in an "undisclosed" location, undisclosed to all save a few of the highest ranking members of the Imperial military. The final adjustments were being performed on the Death Star's superlaser, and it would be regrettable if Rebel elements found this mighty weapon of the Empire at this most inopportune time.

Tarkin prided himself on his military conduct and precision, but he allowed himself a smile of satisfaction. After literally decades of work, the Death Star was within hours of being fully operational. The wars that had plagued the galaxy for far too long would soon be at an end, as the power of the Death Star made it clear to all that rebellion against the Empire was as pointless as it was reprehensible.

Tarkin reached out and caressed the dark metal of the walls. He was ready. How he was ready, to finally put an end to the inefficiency of war. Soon, Emperor Palpatine would rule a galaxy at peace, and Tarkin would be his trusted subordinate, no doubt with expanded powers.

Of course, one couldn't cook a Corellian omelet with breaking some Convor eggs. A planet would have to be destroyed to show the galaxy that the Emperor meant business. The question was, which one?

A beep broke into his meditation. He pushed a button.

"Yes?"

"Sir, Lord Darth Vader has requested that you speak with him when it is convenient."

"I'm available now. I'll speak to him from my private transmission chamber."

Tarkin strode over to his private communication chamber and sank into its comfortable chair. One of the perks of his high rank was that his old back was properly supported by the best chairs that credits could buy.

There was a short pause, and then the screen flickered to life, showing the intimidating mask of Darth Vader, accompanied with the familiar mechanized breathing.

"Lord Vader. I trust you have news?" Tarkin didn't bother to hide the hint of disdain he felt for the Dark Lord. He was aware that Vader was a strong Force user and capable of unimaginable acts, but on the other hand, Tarkin was so valuable to Emperor Palpatine that Vader would not dare harm him.

There was a pause, and then Vader responded in a measured tone, "Indeed, Governor, I do. Princess Leia Organa was tracked to the surface of Tatooine and arrested, but was subsequently freed by an individual positively identified as the Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi. Both of them fled Tatooine in a Corellian YT-3100f light freighter, regrettably evading Imperial pursuit and going into light speed. Their course has been tracked and, assuming they do not drop out of hyperspace prematurely, they will arrive in the Alderaan system within three standard days. We believe they have the Death Star plans with them, which is unfortunate. Furthermore, the reappearance of Obi-wan Kenobi is of additional concern. It is of vital importance that I find and dispatch him as soon as possible."

Tarkin leaned back, contemplating this information. Kenobi! He knew enough of Vader's history to know that this particular Jedi Knight was of great interest to the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"You have proof that Kenobi rescued the Princess?" he asked.

"Indeed, we have recorded confirmation," Vader replied.

Tarkin nodded in satisfaction, "Send me the visual files showing Kenobi's presence with the Princess. In a few short hours, the Death Star will be fully operational, and we will proceed to the Alderaan system. Meet me there in four standard days."

"As you wish," Vader replied, and the screen went black.

Vader was never one for closing niceties.

Tarkin smiled thinly. So, the first planet to be destroyed would be…Alderaan.

/-/-/-/-/

Darth Vader turned from the transmitter. Alderaan was a reasonable destination, and four days would give Padme more time to recover before Vader was thrown back into the maelstrom of Imperial intrigue surrounding the Death Star. He hoped that before the _Devastator_ reached Alderaan, he would have enough information about his wife's condition to know what to do next.

What _should_ he do next? 24 hours ago he knew who he was, the junior Sith Lord, (almost slavishly) devoted to his master, willing to do anything and everything to subjugate the Rebellion that sought to topple Palpatine's Empire. And now he knew that his wife was alive, along with the son he thought had died in her womb. What was he to do?

He had no intention of informing Palpatine of this momentous turn of events. Twenty years ago, the then Chancellor Palpatine had been a close and trusted confidant. Now Vader served him steadfastly, but did not trust him. Palpatine was an exacting and even cruel master at times, but Vader had submitted to him out of a sense of obligation and futility. After Padme had "died" on Mustafar, he had nothing left in life but to serve Darth Sidious.

But now, now everything was different. Everything.

Still pondering, he walked back into the secure med bay where his son and wife were being treated. Sixteen stormtroopers now lined the hall leading to the medbay, all with blasters set for stun. All other patients had been transferred to the other 3 medical facilities on board the ship, leaving this area empty save for his family. Inside the bay, he noted that the medics had erected a thick portable screen to section off part of the room. He sensed Padme in that room, still in a deep sleep. His son (his son!) sat calmly on a hospital bed while one of the medics (his name tag said Fentesto) applied bacta patches to his wounds under the careful supervision of Doctor Sert. The boy's shirt had been removed and special tape applied to his right side, no doubt supporting the broken ribs while they knitted after deep level treatment. Vader stared openly at his son, as Luke was drowsy and apparently not distressed or even particular aware of the Dark Lord. He was thin, with ribs showing under tan skin, but he wasn't as scrawny as Vader had initially thought. Moisture farmers worked hard, and Luke was surprisingly muscular. He was slight and short, though – he had inherited Padme's build. His hair and eye color and facial features were inherited from Anakin Skywalker, however.

Doctor Sert walked over to him, and waited respectfully to be recognized.

"What is his condition?" Vader asked.

"His wounds are comparatively minor, my Lord, and he should return to complete physical health within three standard days. His weight is slightly below recommended levels, but given his muscular development I believe that is due to hard work as opposed to limited calories. He is in excellent physical shape."

Vader nodded, pleased, "And his mother?"

"She remains in very deep sleep, my Lord. Medically, it would be best to leave her here for an additional 23 hours before shifting her to new quarters."

The Dark Lord hesitated. He wanted to move his family quickly, not only because the med bay was not appropriately luxurious, but because this area of the ship was a relatively high traffic area and harder to guard. On the other hand…

"She's already been disturbed once during treatment, Lord Vader," Luke said suddenly, "So it really would be best to leave her in peace."

"Very well," Vader replied, startled that Skywalker was obviously paying attention to the low toned conversation. He focused in on his son and noted that his shielding was stronger now. Obviously someone, likely Kenobi, had taught him to shield. It was strange, really, that his shielding had crumbled so quickly on Tatooine when Vader had probed him.

He turned to the Doctor Sert, determined to talk to Luke now, though he wasn't sure exactly what he would say. Obviously the boy had no idea who his father was, and Vader did not think it was the right time to reveal that information. It was likely that he would react strongly, and Luke was apparently Padme's emotional anchor.

"Doctor, I wish to speak with this prisoner alone. Are you able to monitor the female's medical condition from the med station directly outside the door?"

"Yes, my Lord. Do you wish me to alert you if she has a problem?"

"No, just enter the room immediately. Do not delay."

"Yes, my Lord," Sert responded smartly as he and the medic left the room.

Vader walked slowly over to the bed, where Skywalker lay quietly with a blanket covering him. The Dark Lord used the Force and lifted a (rather small) chair from across the room, then lowered himself cautiously into it. It held, somewhat to his surprise. He was still taller than his son now, but Luke didn't have to crane his head uncomfortably.

For a long moment, the two men stared at one another.

"So, you are Anakin Skywalker's son," Vader said calmly.

The boy's blue eyes (so familiar!) narrowed slightly, "Yes."

Vader paused, unsure of what to say next.

"What do you know about your father?" he finally asked. That was a safe enough question.

Skywalker tilted his head slightly, "I know quite a bit. I know that he spent part of his early childhood on Tatooine. I know that he won the Boonta Eve Classic at the age of 9, the only human to do so. I know he became a Jedi Knight. I know that he married my mother Padme at the beginning of the Clone Wars. I know that he was a mighty and brave warrior. I know that for reasons which neither Obi-wan Kenobi or my mother can fathom, he chose to turn to the Dark Side, pledge his allegiance to Palpatine, slaughter a group of younglings in the Jedi Temple, and then nearly choke his pregnant wife to death. I know that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father."

 _Author Note: Yes, Luke knows!_


	4. Chapter 4

For a long moment the two men gazed at one another. Skywalker's eyes were full of challenge. Vader's, concealed behind the mask, were wide with astonishment.

After a minute ticked by, the Dark Lord spoke in a voice which conveyed his surprise through the vocoder, "I did not expect you to know that."

Luke leaned back against the bed, though his eyes did not leave Vader's mask.

"I've known for three years, Lord Vader," he stated steadily, "I put the pieces together after Mother came to live with us."

Vader stood up and turned away, suddenly unable to cope with son's accusing stare.

"Kenobi did not tell you?"

"Oh no."

His son's tone with tinged with bitterness.

"No, Kenobi had quite a convenient and comforting story. I didn't know him until I was 11 years old, when I got lost in a sandstorm and Ben came out and rescued me. He took me back to his home in the Jundland Wastes and told me that my father wasn't a dead navigator, but a dead Jedi Knight, murdered by a fellow Jedi Knight known as Darth Vader. Of course, 'Darth' is a Sith designation, but I couldn't be expected to know that. Ben told me that you and my father were both his apprentices, and that you betrayed and murdered Anakin. It was the sort of story to appeal to a boy like me, full of curiosity and reverence for my dead father. In spite of Uncle Owen's resistance, I started Force training with Ben occasionally, when I could be spared from farm work."

Vader turned around now, somewhat relieved to see that Luke's gaze was now fixed on one of the walls.

"When I was 15, Mother was well enough that she needed a safe place to stay. She would sometimes…say things…that weren't prudent in Palpatine's Empire, and there were several near misses in the medical facility where she had been staying."

"Where was that?" Vader demanded.

Luke looked at him steadily, "I'm not telling you."

Vader tamped down a stirring of anger, and waved a hand, "Continue."

Skywalker sat back and deliberately pulled the blanket closer to his body.

"It was kind of the Lars to take Mother in. Now they were harboring not only the son of a Jedi Knight, but his wife as well. But they are very good people, and Aunt Beru in particular bonded well with Mother. And Mother quickly learned to recognize me. When I was with her, she was calmer and often more communicative. It was a wonderful time for me, as she often spoke of my father with such love and delight at the times they had shared. She did tell me that Anakin Skywalker was Obi-wan's only apprentice, which I found confusing given what Ben had told me. And then she had one of her nightmares, and I realized my father had attacked her right before I was born. It didn't take much longer for me to realize the truth."

Vader swallowed hard, "Nightmares?"

"Yes, she …" his son trailed off, then stiffened and threw the blanket off his body, "She's having one right now!"

Luke rushed around the partition towards Padme, just as the door to the med bay burst open and Doctor Sert came in with an alarmed look on his face. His female patient's heart rate and cerebral activity had spiked alarmingly within a fifteen second period.

Vader turned the corner into the sectioned off area even as the doctor turned on low level lighting in the area.

Padme was sitting up, her eyes wide but apparently unseeing

"Anakin," she cried out, "You're breaking my heart. You're going down a road I can't follow. No, no, Anakin, the baby, you'll kill the baby. No!"

Vader stood in stunned horror as his wife's hands moved to her throat, obviously in the throes of the dark memory when he had choked her.

"Mother, Mother," Luke said, reaching her and putting his arms around her thin form, "Mother, it's all right. I'm here. Everything is Ok. I'm here."

Padme's fixed gaze broke, and she looked at their son, her eyes focusing in.

"Luke?"

For a moment, the tableau held, and then she reached out with her left hand, "Oh Luke, my son. You're all right!"

"Yes, Mother, I'm fine," Luke replied gently, pressing a kiss against his mother's damp forehead, "I'm just fine."

Padme's eyes found Vader and she shrank, "Who is that?"

"That's Lord Vader, Mother," Luke explained in a soothing tone, "He's in charge of the ship we are on. And Doctor Sert is looking after you. You're safe."

Padme nodded just as the doctor injected a dose of something into her IV. She lay in Luke's arms and her eyes drifted closed. He leaned her back against the bed and straightened with a slight grimace. Belatedly, Vader remembered that his son had broken ribs.

Doctor Sert frowned, "Is this typical for her?"

Luke sighed, "She tends to have an average of two nightmares a month, but the chance of having one is higher during the week she's had CGA1629 treatment. She'll probably be fine when she wakes up next time. They don't usually happen more than once a week."

The doctor raised his eyebrows, "She's remembering being attacked, I presume? By this Anakin?"

Vader spoke harshly, "That is not your concern, Doctor."

"Yes, my Lord," Sert said promptly, with an alarmed look on his face.

Vader paused, aware he needed to gain control over his own emotions.

"Doctor," he said in a more moderate tone, "Your patient's past is classified information, and the less you know about her, the better. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my Lord."

If anything, Doctor Sert was even more frightened now. Like it or not, he knew details about this mysterious patient and her son, and Vader was noted for his willingness to permanently silence his underlings who were a security risk. Or who failed him. Or who annoyed him. Sert was in danger of checking off all three boxes on that very negative list.

To his relief, Vader continued, "I will be back in two hours. Stay with both patients and alert me on my private com if there are any additional medical concerns for either of them."

Vader looked straight at the teen boy. There was a long pause as the two gazed at one another, and then Vader strode out of the med bay rapidly.

Doctor Sert and his male patient both heaved deep sighs. For a fragile moment, their eyes met in mutual understanding of the stress inherent in dealing with Lord Darth Vader.

Then Sert focused on the boy's battered countenance and bandaged ribs and said, "Let's get you back to bed and I'll order a meal for you."

He would do his job for as long as he drew breath, and thus far Lord Vader hadn't disrupted his breathing.

Not yet.

 _Author Note: For those of you who have seen the Bad Lip Synching edition of Bushes of Love, my husband altered one of this chapter's paragraphs for your reading pleasure:_

 _"_ _No, Kenobi had quite a convenient and comforting story. I didn't know him at all until I was 11 years old, when I got lost in a sandstorm and Ben came out and rescued me. He took me back to his home in the Jundland Wastes and told me that my father wasn't a dead navigator, but a dead Jedi Knight, murdered by a_ _chicken head with duck feet known as Darth Vader. Of course, 'Darth' is a Sith designation, but I couldn't be expected to know that. Ben told me that you and my father were both his apprentices, and that you_ _were waiting in the bushes for him_ _and_ _ripped off my dad's face. It was the sort of story to appeal to a boy like me, full of curiosity and reverence for my dead father. In spite of Uncle Owen's resistance, I started Force training with Ben occasionally, when I could be spared from farm work."_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author warning: Lots of angst and thoughts of suicide._**

 _10 minutes later_

Darth Vader was no longer capable of running, but on this occasion he walked _very quickl_ y.

As soon as he entered his meditation chamber, he nearly threw himself into the seat and used the Force to remove his helmet as quickly as possible.

Then, with a shuddering sigh, he lifted his prosthetic fingers to his face and pressed hard against the scarred tissue on his cheeks. It hurt. He was glad it hurt.

Padme. He had choked his own wife. She was experiencing horrendous nightmares because he had attacked his Angel. How _could_ he have perpetrated such a crime against the loveliest, kindest, most glorious woman in the galaxy? She was the light of his life. (Odd to think of that, as a Dark Lord of the Sith. Luke, his Light Giving son. Padme, his bright pole star since he was nine years old.)

And Luke. He had been completely stunned at his son's knowledge of their biological relationship. Why was he so surprised?

Because Luke hadn't come to him for the past three years. His own son had been living in dreary obscurity on that sand blasted desert when he should have been living in luxury, cared for and trained by his own father. Why hadn't he reached out to Vader?

Because of Padme? Because he was afraid for her? Afraid for himself?

That was probably why. His son knew of his attack on his mother. Perhaps he feared yet another attack? Perhaps…perhaps he thought Vader would casually destroy them both as he had almost destroyed them 19 years ago? Vader's hands clenched.

Vader forced himself to look into the only large flat reflective surface in his meditation chamber, directly to the right of the main controls on the wall. It was a regrettable trick of design, unintentional, and he usually carefully avoided looking at his own features.

The last time he had seen Padme, he had been physically nearly whole, still tall and handsome with shaggy dark blond hair and three complete limbs. Now what was he? Machine more than man. His lips twisted at his own reflection. He was scarred, bald, ugly, old before his time. If Padme had rejected him on Mustafar, what would she think of him now?

Not that she knew him at all. Her mind was damaged, broken. Because of _him._

Slowly, Vader drew his lightsaber from his waist and stared at it. He was a loathsome monster, a creature unworthy to live. Perhaps he should end it all, right here. One press of the button, one flick of the wrist, and he would be dead and his family would be free of his devastating influence forever.

But no, that was the coward's way, and he had never been a coward. And now, of all times, he couldn't abandon them. They had been marginally safe on Tatooine, certainly safer than they were now, on an Imperial ship. If nothing else he would live and strive to keep them secure. If Palpatine found out about them…

He shuddered. He knew now that Palpatine had hated Padme Amidala Skywalker. She had stood in opposition to his ultimately successful plan to become Emperor of the galaxy. Furthermore, Sidious knew, more than anyone else, how devotion to Padme had drawn Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. Sidious would legitimately fear her influence on him as Darth Vader.

And Luke, their son? Vader still didn't know how much training his boy had, but he was a powerhouse in the Force. It would not be long before the Emperor sensed his son's presence. It was likely that Obi-wan Kenobi had been shielding him. Vader was working to shield his son now, but it was difficult for a Dark Sider to shield for a Light Sider

Their biological relationship was the only thing that made it possible, but as they drew nearer to the Core and to Palpatine, his son's brightness would almost certainly shine through.

He needed to take Luke in hand, teach him the Dark ways. With Kenobi as his occasional teacher, no doubt he had been fed nonsense that the "Light side was stronger." For Luke's own safety, he would need to learn to channel passion and anger into power, so that he could withstand the Emperor when the time came.

And the time would come. The fate of the galaxy was entwined with the fate of the Skywalkers.

Vader took three deep breaths of superoxygenated air, then activated the screen in his chamber and chose the secure medbay holocams.

His son was lying on his cot, apparently asleep, a look of peace on his youthful face. Vader stared at him in awe. He still felt a crashing amazement at least once an hour that he was father to a living child. And while he knew comparatively little about his son, Vader was confident of his strength and bravery. It took courage and devotion to protect his mother in the face of an armed force far too great for Luke to handle alone.

(This brought a brief and painful memory of his own attempt to rescue his mother Shmi, when the Tusken Raiders took her from her home, abused her, tortured her, starved her. Anakin Skywalker had found her too late to save her life. That was the first time he had enveloped himself fully in the energies of the Dark Side, after the death of his mother. What did his son think of him, the father who had harmed Padme so badly? Was there hatred for his father lurking in that peaceful face?)

A press of a button switched to another holocam showed Padme, also sleeping soundly, with an IV dripping needed medication and nutrients into her overly thin arm.

The last holocam showed Doctor Sert, hunched over a dimly lit screen near Luke. A close-up view showed the Doctor was reading a medical protocol concerning CGA1629. Vader nodded in satisfaction. Sert had been flagged more than once for showing "inappropriate concern for enemies of the Empire"; that usually undesirable trait was now a benefit. Vader was confident that he could trust Sert to do everything possible to care for his wife and son well.

He reminded himself not to strangle the man in a fit. The next days and weeks would likely be fraught with stress and he must not take out his rancor on this man who was tasked with helping his wife.

He switched back to Padme's holocam and stared at her. Padme was alive. His precious, beautiful wife was still alive. Yes, she was damaged and broken, but she was alive.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, the image of his wife imprinted on the back of eyelids damaged in the fires of Mustafar, and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_20 hours later_

 _Darth Vader's Star Destroyer Devastator_

 _Secure Medbay_

Darth Vader strode into the secure medbay, leaving a slightly denuded squad of stormtroopers lining the corridor outside.

After some deliberation, he had called together Squad 53, the squad that had captured (and abused) his son and wife on Tatooine's harsh surface. A short interrogation had revealed that the officer in charge and two particularly bestial stormtroopers had carried out most of the mistreatment of his family. He had summarily strangled all three men, and then proceeded to inform the rest of the quivering squad that the two captured prisoners were top secret, highly important individuals; furthermore, he was assigning the remaining troopers to guard and protect them until further notice. Lastly, to complete their discomfiture, he had assigned a lieutenant from the 501st Legion, the so called Vader's Fist, to lead them.

He had been tempted to wipe out the entire squad, but concluded that even given his record for punitive punishment, such an action would earn more talk than he wanted. It was best that gossip not leak onto other ships in the Imperial Fleet about the two mystery prisoners recovered from Tatooine.

Inside the medbay, Padme sat on his son's cot. She was awake but she had a slightly vacant gaze and was obviously still not entirely clearheaded. Vader was pleased to see that she was now wearing a simple white robe and her face was brighter than the day before. He noted that a biomonitor was attached to her neck, and another to her left wrist, to analyze her biometrics in real time. The IV had been removed.

Sitting crosslegged next to Padme was Luke, also newly dressed in a simple black shirt and pants and boots. To Vader's astonishment, the boy was carefully braiding Padme's hair into one of the elaborate styles that she had worn when she was Senator of Naboo. Luke was just finishing the last braid and now carefully tied it off with a white ribbon, which he had apparently obtained from Medic Fentesto. The latter was hovering over them, apparently ready to…what, help braid hair?

Vader smiled slightly. Obviously both the doctor and medic had come to the correct conclusion that both patients' well being included not just physical care, but access to small favors such as hair ties.

He had learned this lesson in a much grimmer fashion, when the Emperor's top interrogators had taught him that confiscating even harmless objects like rings, chronos, and cultural clothing would make a prisoner uneasy. It was part of official practice to remove all personal effects from a prisoner, showing the individual that he was now no longer a person but merely an asset to the Empire, a number, to be used and then discarded.

Padme looked up now and gazed at his mask, smiling slightly. Vader shook his head, suddenly ashamed at the memories of all those he had used and abused during his long career as a Dark Lord of the Sith.

What would she think of what he had done since they had last met?

He waited through another cycle of breathing, intent on regaining his equilibrium. Padme obviously did _not_ know who he was, even if their son did.

Luke rolled gracefully to his feet and took a step forward.

"Mother is doing much better today, Lord Vader," his son said, looking calmly into his eyes.

"I am pleased to hear that, Madame," the Dark Lord responded after a moment. He hadn't thought about that before. What to call Padme? She was officially Prisoner 5867 and her son was Prisoner 5868, but he couldn't bear to call his family by numbers.

"Thank you, my Lord, Doctor," Padme said, still with that slightly unworldly smile on her face.

"It has been my honor to serve you, Madame," Doctor Sert said respectfully.

Vader turned his mask to look at the doctor, but detected nothing of concern in that remark. Back during their marriage, Anakin Skywalker had struggled regularly with jealousy. Padme Amidala was not only a raving beauty, but had more charm in her little finger than Skywalker had in his entire body. Her admirers were many, but she had given herself in forbidden marriage to a Jedi.

He sighed. If she had married one of those pampered princes or sons of shipping magnates, her life would have been far easier and safer. Better.

He was aware that his silence was causing anxiety in all but Padme, who was still gazing around somewhat blankly.

"It is time for both of you to move to more comfortable and secure quarters," Vader said abruptly.

He looked directly at his son, "Do I have your promise that you will not attempt to escape or resist during the transfer?"

Luke looked at him for a moment with narrowed eyes and then, to his surprise, said, "No."

Vader was about to ask for an explanation, but realized that they had a curious and bewildered audience in his two medical staff.

With a soft sigh, he took binders from his belt (just as well he had clipped them on today) and firmly cuffed his son. He then guided him out the door. Padme followed cheerfully, along with the two medical staff.

As they walked down the corridor, Squad 53 fell in behind them, making quite a parade which ended peacefully five minutes later, in a suite of rooms directly next to Vader's own quarters in the command section of the ship.

A day earlier, Vader had summarily ordered the previous occupants of these quarters out, and had directed his minions and droids to transform the large suite into a home suitable for a brain damaged former Queen of Naboo and her son. He had deliberately ordered the furniture and bed coverings to be in the heraldic colors of House Naberrie, in the hopes that it would be a soothing environment for his wife.

As for Luke, the Dark Lord suspected that any suite of rooms with a water shower would be enough for him. He felt a twinge of melancholy remembrance of his first day on a world where water was plentiful. Though for all Vader knew, Luke had lived elsewhere than Tatooine for the early part of his life. There was so much he didn't know.

Padme was looking tired again, and Medic Fentesto ran a quick scan on her before saying gently, "Perhaps you would like to lie down again, Madame?"

She looked at Luke, who smiled and nodded encouragingly at her, and allowed herself to be led to one of the open bedroom doors. Luke and Vader both watched as the medic turned back the covers and Padme climbed in, immediately closing her eyes and apparently drifting off to sleep.

Vader looked at Doctor Sert, "Do you have an additional update on her, Doctor?"

Sert's face relaxed into a slight smile and he said, "She has improved significantly, my Lord. Her brain is no longer reacting strongly to external stimuli, and her ability to speak clearly and coherently is a very positive sign. She continues to be exhausted from the protocol, and will need to sleep regularly. However, she has moved past the crisis from her interruption of sleep during the last CGA1629 dose."

Vader nodded, satisfied, then gestured at his son, "And the boy?"

"He is recovering well, my Lord. The ribs and arm are 75% of full strength."

"Very well, Doctor. You and Medic Fentesto have served me well. You may retire to your quarters down the hall. Report to me at 0800 tomorrow."

"Yes, my Lord," both men chorused, and marched out the door.

Vader turned to Luke and moved forward, holding out the code cylinder and unlocking the binders from his wrists.

"Are you planning to attempt an escape?" he queried curiously.

His son blinked at him, apparently surprised.

"No," Luke replied, "But I don't trust you, and I'm not going to promise compliance when I don't know what you intend for Mother."

Vader was briefly puzzled, then angry, "Do you imagine I intend to harm her in some fashion?"

His son actually took a step closer, which was counter to the natural reaction of 99.9% of the population when Vader was irate.

"Nothing I know leads me to think you will treat Mother well, Lord Vader. The last thing you did to her was to choke her while she was pregnant with me. I can't do much if you decide to harm her again, but I will do what little I can to protect her. "

Vader's fists clutched in rage and he took a step closer, causing his son to tip his head up more to continue to stare at the mask of his enraged sire.

"I love your mother more than you can possibly imagine, young one," he hissed with a finger pointing directly in Luke's face, "Do not insult me by suggesting that I would harm a hair of my Angel's head now that destiny has given her back to me. I will do everything in my power not only to keep her safe, but to give her the advanced medical care that should have been hers for the last 19 years. I should have been told long ago that she was alive. I only hope that now that she is back with me, it isn't too late for her to recover fully from her crisis at your birth. And if she recovers no more, at least I can insure that she receives the daily care that she needs to be comfortable and happy."

Luke's expression smoothed out from anger to surprise.

"Why is that important to you?" he asked, "I would think that a brain damaged wife would be a burden for the second most powerful man in the Empire."

Luke paused, looked down, and continued with some difficulty, "Not to mention that Mother does remember me. What are you going to tell her if it becomes necessary that I disappear suddenly? She'll probably be quite upset and difficult to handle."

Vader felt like this conversation was getting away from him. Why would his son disappear?

His brow wrinkled, causing slight pain in his scarred forehead.

Then it hit him.

"Do you imagine I'm going to summarily execute you, my son?" he asked incredulously.

Luke backed up half a meter and spoke shakily to the Sith, "It has definitely occurred to me as a possibility, Lord Vader. I understand you've made rather a career of killing young Force sensitives. It isn't clear to me why it matters if I happen to biologically be your child."

Vader's fists clenched again, but this time in self-loathing.

He could tell his son wasn't hurling accusations out of anger. Luke really thought Vader might kill him. Kill his own son! That blasted Kenobi must have told Luke about the younglings at the Jedi Temple.

( _Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we to do?)_

He turned away and strode to the window, staring out at the swirls of hyperspace flowing past the transparisteel window. He must not give into the anger, anxiety, and despair coiling in his spirit, waiting to fuel the power of the Dark Side in a violent, unpredictable way. He must not harm Luke. Or Padme.

Luke Skywalker stood quietly, staring uneasily at the back of the Dark Lord of the Sith who also happened to be his father.

So far, nothing was going as he had expected. When he volunteered to stay behind on the farm with Mother, he had hoped that the next group of Imperials would delay long enough that Mother could be safely woken up at the 24 hour mark and hurried away in his landspeeder. When the Imperials arrived too soon, he had successfully delayed them, and then deflected their attention from Padme onto himself. When he sensed the approaching presence of Darth Vader, his hope had been that Vader would be sufficiently distracted by the sudden appearance of a wife and son to allow Leia and Obi-wan and the Lars to escape with the Death Star plans. He had deliberately dropped his shielding, guessing that his Force presence would pull Vader in. He had also hoped, with what seemed foolish optimism, that some vestige of Anakin Skywalker survived in the Dark Lord so that Mother wouldn't be killed on the spot.

He was nearly sure his own fate would be either an ugly interrogation followed by death, or a quick slice of a lightsaber. Vader was notorious for destroying Force Sensitives, and he knew that while his training was not advanced, he had potential.

But instead, Vader…his father, had shown every sign of being concerned for not only his mother's well being, but his own. Luke had to admit that he had been treated with great care since he had told his father his name.

And just a minute ago – his suggestion that Vader might kill him had provoked a violent surge of powerful emotions in the Dark Lord, before the Sith had closed off. It felt like disbelief, and dismay, and even grief.

Why was that? How could it be? Everything he had heard about Darth Vader was that he was more machine now than man (that was a direct quote from Kenobi) with a complete disdain for tender emotions like love and compassion. Why would a scruffy, uneducated son from a 6th rate planet matter to a Dark Lord of the Sith? If anything, Luke thought he would be an embarrassment, someone who should be quickly dispatched before word leaked out of his existence.

But no, that did not seem to be Vader's response at all. It was amazing. It was compelling. It fueled an intense longing in Luke's heart that he had suppressed for 3 years, ever since he had learned the truth.

He had wanted his father for so long. So long.

Luke glanced at his mother. If Padme wasn't a factor, he would probably push harder to see what Vader really felt. But Mother was very fragile right now. He would continue to be at least moderately submissive. He would remember that he was a part in a far greater whole. His role in the struggle against the Empire had thus far been very limited, but right now he could distract Darth Vader and watch over Padme Amidala Skywalker.

And if he were to learn something more about his father in the process…

Well, that would be a dream come true.

 ** _Author Note: Many many thanks to those of you reviewing and following. You all are a tremendous encouragement when writer's block threatens to strike!_**


	7. Chapter 7

_(Still in Padme and Luke's suite on board the Devastator)_

Vader turned away from the window, having calmed himself from the maelstrom of emotion that had threatened, briefly, to break through his self control.

Luke stood in the center of the room looking at him, projecting anxiety mixed with a cautious thread of hopefulness.

The Dark Lord suddenly remembered how young Luke was. Yes, at age 19, Anakin Skywalker was already a Jedi padawan, the veteran of a number of battles at the side of his Master. But Luke had (again, as far as he knew) been trapped on Tatooine for most of his life, and had very little personal experience with death and destruction. In a few short days, the youth had gone from moisture farmer to abused prisoner to high level captive, all while worrying about his mother possibly being murdered by his father. Or possibly being murdered himself by his father.

It was a great deal to take in. Vader had been so busy processing his own emotional havoc that he had failed to appreciate how hard this was on his son.

Slowly, the Sith approached Luke who, to his great credit, did not retreat.

"Luke," Vader said gently, "I greatly regret my attack on your mother when she was pregnant with you. Learning that both she and you survived is the best thing that has happened to me in 19 years. I promise you that I care deeply about your mother and will do everything in my power to protect her. As for you, I have every intention of training you in the ways of the Force. It is your birthright and your destiny, and Kenobi was much at fault both in what he taught you, and how little he taught you, given your tremendous potential."

Luke looked positively eopie-like for a moment. They were notoriously stubborn creatures.

"If that means learning the ways of the Dark Side, I refuse," he said firmly.

Vader sighed. Of course, it couldn't be easy. Was it ever easy with Skywalkers?

"I suppose," he said with a mixture of bitterness and sarcasm, "Kenobi has filled your mind with foolish statements about the Light Side being stronger than the Dark. It is not true, my son. The Dark Side gives tremendous power, far more power than the Jedi could ever dream of."

Luke stepped forward again. (It was amazing how courageous the boy was.)

"That may be true. You and Palpatine did succeed in taking down the Jedi structure of a thousand generations in a few short years."

Vader blinked inside his mask, "So why …?"

Luke interrupted him, "Because, Lord Vader, I would rather be weak and compassionate than strong and cruel. I don't want anything to do with a power that would cause a formerly loyal and loving husband to turn on his wife like you turned on my mother."

Vader froze. What could he say to that?

"It was a mistake," he tried, "I thought…I thought that she had betrayed me."

"Because Obi-wan stowed away on her ship?"

Vader turned away, "You are well informed, young one. Yes, I thought she had brought him there to kill me. It wasn't until…until later, when I woke up in this armor, when I was told she had died, that I had time to think and reflect. I realized she probably didn't know Kenobi was in the ship."

"So you had a wife who loved you, who was devoted to you, and after turning to the Dark Side you leaped to the conclusion that she had betrayed you and you nearly killed her and the child she carried."

Vader gritted his teeth. Really, how should he respond to that? It was not unreasonable for Luke to blame the Dark Side for his actions.

Because the Dark Side _had_ fueled his actions.

Painfully, he reached back through memory to Mustafar. He had been filled with battle lust and the surging Dark powers when he saw his wife's beloved form run from her ship, heavy with their child. He had been surprised but delighted, certain that now Padme and the child would be safe, that he and his family could destroy Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. That they could fashion the galaxy however they wished.

And then…Padme had withdrawn in horror at his words, had rejected his plans for galactic domination. When Kenobi had appeared at the top of the ramp of Padme's ship, he had been so certain, suddenly, that his wife had betrayed him by bringing his master to kill him.

His mind had filled with red rage and soon Padme lay on the ground, unconscious at his own hand.

Why had he done that? What could he say in his own defense to their son?

He forced himself to relax. It would be wise to wait on this topic until he had time to meditate more, to marshal additional arguments to convince Luke of the need for Dark Side training.

He turned back to Luke, "I can see that we are at odds about your training, and I think it best to continue this topic at a later time."

He retreated a meter so that the two were at a more emotionally comfortable distance, "Tell me more about yourself, Son."

Luke, whose eyes had been narrowed, relaxed and looked surprised, "What do you want to know?"

Vader shrugged slightly, "Everything. Where did you grow up? How were you educated? What do you like to do?"

His son sighed, "Well, I grew up on Tatooine. I wasn't born there, but Ben Kenobi brought me to the Lars when I was a few days old. Before you brought me on board your ship, I had never been off planet since I arrived on Tatooine. As you no doubt know, the Lars operated a moisture farm and I helped with running it. I was educated partly at a local school, partly at home via Holonet. It was mostly a dull life."

Vader tamped down his outrage. That _his son_ had been forced to live and toil in such dreary circumstances on that sandblasted rock…

"Was there anything you did enjoy?" he inquired.

Luke tilted his head slightly, "Well, there were aspects of Force training that I thoroughly appreciated, but I'm guessing we shouldn't talk about that. Other than that, I loved flying my X-34 landspeeder."

Vader straightened slightly, "So you are a pilot? A good one?"

Luke looked slightly bashful for the first time, "Well, I'm good relative to the bush pilots of Tatooine. I don't know if I'm good on a galactic scale. But I love it. There is nothing like flying at high speed. I loved to race through Beggar's Canyon against friends."

He grinned suddenly, looking abruptly younger, "I wish that podracing hadn't been outlawed. I have always wanted to fly a pod."

Vader did not conceal his wince, "Those pods were death traps, Luke. No parent in his right mind would want his child to race one."

"Yeah, I know," Luke's eyes wore a faraway look, "But it would be a great way to die, right? I mean, you podraced. You won the Boonta Eve Classic, after all. Don't tell me it wasn't amazing."

Vader smiled for the first time today, and again his memory stretched back, this time to better times.

"Yes," he admitted, "It was indeed, as you phrased it, amazing. But I still wouldn't let you get near such a vehicle, young one."

Luke stared at him directly, and his expression hardened, "Well, I'm assuming my racing days are over forever."

Vader cocked his head slightly, "I would not wish to deny a Skywalker the pleasure of flying, so I will see what I can arrange. You've only flown a speeder?"

Luke looked hopeful and excited for the first time during his captivity, "Well, I've flown the occasional swoop bike as well. But nothing off planet, nothing out of atmosphere."

Vader considered. He couldn't possibly let Luke loose in a TIE, partly because it wasn't safe for an inexperienced pilot, and partly because his son might be tempted to escape. But…

"For now, you will understand I can't let you actually fly, but we have TIE simulators that are very close to the real thing. I will allow you to practice on that. It is better than nothing."

Luke's eyes brightened, "It certainly is, but…" his expression fell, "I can't leave here. Mother might wake up and be distressed."

"We'll work something out, Son," Vader said firmly.

A beep interrupted him. He glanced at his chrono, which indicated that he had a meeting with his Command staff.

"I must go. I will return later," he said, and headed for the door.

"Thank you, Father," Luke replied.

Vader froze briefly and turned to look at Luke. His son wore a tentative expression, as if unsure whether Vader would appreciate being addressed as such…

"It is my pleasure, my son."

He stepped out of the door, ensuring it was locked securely behind him. The stormtroopers lining the corridor stiffened to attention as he strode towards his command meeting.

His heart felt lighter. Perhaps….perhaps that chasm between Luke and himself could be crossed, with time and patience. Perhaps.

 ** _Author Note: Many thanks to my wonderful husband K., who keeps finding my typos and logic errors. You're awesome, honey!_**

 ** _And thanks too for your kind reviews and follows._**


	8. Chapter 8

_(6 hours later)_

 _Devastator_

 _Darth Vader's meditation chamber_

Vader was in the borderline between sleep and meditation when he sensed a spike in the Force. He pulled himself into consciousness and reached out. Luke was … anxious? Alarmed?

Vader was already donning his helmet and rushing out the door. The troopers on duty from Squad 53 were still at their posts, so there had been no escape or assassination attempt. He flung the door open to his family's suite and stopped in surprise.

Padme stood straight and regal, though she was dwarfed by Doctor Sert and even Luke, who wasn't a tall man.

Doctor Sert was speaking in anxious tones, "Madame, you are still recovering from the last CGA1629 dose so I urge you to not overexert yourself."

"Doctor," Padme said in a crisp tone that filled Vader with amazement, "I greatly appreciate your medical care for me and for my son. But these 'awakenings', as my son terms them, occur very rarely and I have no intention of wasting this one in bed. I haven't been alert like this for…"

She looked at Luke, who said promptly, but with a slight smile, "12 days."

Padme looked surprised, then delighted, "Only 12 days?"

Luke stepped forward and grasped his mother's hands, "Yes, Mother, it hasn't been long. The awakenings are occurring more frequently. There will probably be another one soon and the doctor is correct, you had a traumatic experience with this dose and shouldn't strain yourself…"

Padme suddenly looked straight at Vader.

"Ah, the very man I wanted to see," she said in a dangerously calm tone, "Lord Vader, isn't it?"

Vader was so staggered by her demeanor that it took him a moment to answer. How beautiful she was. How vibrant.

"Yes, Madame," he finally said, with a slight bow.

Padme released Luke's hands and stepped up to the Dark Lord boldly, "Lord Vader, I believe you are in charge of this doctor. Could you kindly eject him from my quarters? I wish to speak to you in private."

Vader glanced at the doctor, who said with a shake in his voice, "My Lord, the patient is stable but this much excitement is not medically indicated for her."

Padme broke in, "On the other hand, I have some vital things to discuss with you, Lord Vader, so I assure you that lying in bed quietly would be equally undesirable because I'd be so annoyed about it."

Vader smiled slightly to himself, "Leave, Doctor. I will inform you if the patient requires care."

The doctor saluted and left the room, still radiating concern and uncertainty.

Padme waited until the door had closed behind the doctor, then turned to Luke, "Luke, go to your bedroom."

Luke's eyes widened, "I really don't think that is wise, Mother…"

"Go. To. Your. Room." she said again, firmly.

Then, with a slight smile, "You have no idea how much I've wanted to say that, my son! I know I wasn't around when you were 8, so humor me when you are a grown up 19 year old."

"Mother," Luke tried again, "I really think I should stay in case…"

Padme stepped closer to her son, staring straight into his eyes, "I have waited 19 years to yell at your father, Luke. Do not deny me this opportunity."

Vader's lungs attempted a breath out of sync. Padme _knew_?

Luke shot a terrified look at Vader.

He responded promptly, "I pledge to you that I will not harm your mother, Luke,"

His son stared at him intently, wordlessly conveying the message, _You'd better not!_

Then he turned on his heel and walked into his bedroom and shut the door.

Vader opened his mouth but Padme forestalled him.

"Words do not adequately express how angry I am with you, Anakin," she said, her eyes spitting fire, "But it isn't Anakin anymore, is it? I understand that you call yourself 'Lord Vader' these days."

"That is the name my master gave me, yes," he said humbly. He knew that being a "lord" was an exalted title for a former slave from Tatooine.

"Ah yes," Padme said, turning away and walking over to the transparisteel window to watch the swirls of hyperspace flow past, "That desiccated walking corpse Palpatine. I'll go to my grave regretting the small part I played in his rise to power. He played us all very well. You most of all, my dear husband."

Vader opened his mouth to say something…to defend himself, his master, his wife from her self-derision.

"I'm sorry, Padme," is what came out of his mouth, somewhat to his surprise.

Padme turned and marched over to him, her head lifted to stare straight at his mask.

"What, exactly, are you sorry for, Anakin? For nearly choking me and our unborn child to death? For betraying the Jedi Order that you pledged your allegiance to? For plunging the galaxy into an abyss of terror and subjugation at the hands of that corrupt despot Palpatine? What exactly are you sorry for, Lord Darth Vader?"

Vader took a couple of breaths. No one, save his master, had dared to speak to him this way in almost 20 years. But he wasn't angry. He was, if anything, slightly intimidated. By this little firebrand of a former Senator. His beloved Padme.

He turned away from her, "I'm sorry, deeply sorry, for attacking you, Padme. I thought…that I killed both you and the child. I have regretted that every day since Mustafar. I am filled with relief that you survived."

He looked at her now, "I pledge that I will do everything in my power to help you recover medically, Padme. Everything I can, and I have more resources than you can imagine.

"As for the Jedi, I have no regrets. They failed the galaxy, leading us into endless wars. Once the last of the rebels are subjugated, the worlds will be at peace. The galaxy needs a strong leader or all will fall into chaos."

He gazed at her with some trepidation. They had had a similar argument once. His throat ached suddenly in remembrance of their picnic at Varykino on Naboo, before their marriage. She had championed democracy, he had championed the necessity of a strong leader to manage the inherent foolishness of most of the galaxy's citizens.

He waited for her to respond, confident that her arguments would be more powerful than his own. She has always been able to argue him into a corner. Usually, she refrained from focusing her powerful intellect and political acumen on him, but Vader had seen elderly senators quail under her verbal lashings.

Padme took a few steps closer, and then, to his intense amazement, reached out and clasped his prosthetic hands with her own small ones.

"Did you free the slaves, Anakin?" she asked gently.

Vader's hands clenched slightly, though he was careful not to hurt her. The slaves. As a young man, he had so wanted to free those who toiled in slavery under Tatooine's hot suns.

But the reality was that under Palpatine, under the Empire, the number of slaves had increased ten fold. Or twenty fold. Or more.

He waited one cycle of his respirator and tried, "Once the galaxy is at peace…things will change."

(Once his master was dead and Vader and his son ruled. He knew that Palpatine had proven all too eager to subjugate alien races and use them as slaves.)

"I am sure," Padme said dryly, "That the Wookies of Kashyyyk would be delighted to hear that. Of course, many of them are dead and many others enslaved, their planet pillaged and their culture decimated by the Empire. But it is a comfort to know that the Empire will fix it all someday."

Vader released his wife's hands and stepped back. Part of him was defensive, another part angry, another part ashamed, and a last part amazed.

"You are…better informed than I expected," he rumbled.

"It's all in here, Anakin," Padme said, pointing at her own head, "I just can't access it most of the time. The synapses and neurons have been misfiring ever since Mustafar and Luke's difficult birth. But sometimes everything clicks into place and I 'wake up'. And when I do, I don't just attempt to make up for all the lost years with my son. I read what I can, I learn what I can. I know very little about what has happened in the last 19 years, but I know that Kashyyyk is just a microcosm of the devastation that you and Palpatine have wreaked on the galaxy since we last spoke."

Vader cringed slightly. He understood why those experienced politicians had flinched when faced with his wife.

(Part of his brain mulled over his wife's knowledge of Kashyyyk. The details of the violent subjugation of Kashyyyk were not well known by your average Outer Rim settler. Was Padme in contact with someone with more political awareness? Perhaps Kenobi had been giving her detailed updates of his crimes?)

Padme stepped forward, breaking that thought.

"I don't have much time before I'll lapse. You've said you'll help me, and I appreciate it. What are you going to do about Luke?"

Vader paused, unsure how to respond. He knew that she would not approve of his desire to teach Luke the Dark ways. Could he risk upsetting her so much?

"He's strong, isn't he?" Padme said gravely, staring at him, "In the Force, I mean."

"He's a powerhouse, Padme," he replied, and allowed himself a moment of intense pride in his son. That he could have sired that magnificent creature bound up in the slight form of a Tatooine farm boy was amazing.

Padme looked alarmed instead of pleased, "Oh Anakin, what does that mean? What will Palpatine do to him?"

He felt her fear and while he usually delighted in the fear of others, this time it was like a blade to his heart. Yes, she had reason to fear for Luke's safety. The elder Sith Lord would not rest easy until he had either destroyed their son, or brought him under his personal control.

He hastened to reassure her, "Padme, I am going to kill the Emperor. I will keep Luke safe. But … I can't do it alone. Padme, you need to convince Luke to train with me. Only with the power of the Dark Side can we defeat the Emperor. We can conquer him and rule in his stead. We can make the galaxy how we want it to be."

He stopped his impassioned speech, suddenly aware that he was repeating the same ideas as 19 years ago. It hadn't convinced her then…

Her eyes narrowed, and her anger flared, "Don't you dare try that worn out argument with me, Anakin! Don't you _dare_! Your devotion to the Dark Side led you to turn on me, the woman you said you loved. To turn on your child whom you said you wanted. Or was it all a lie? Were you just placating me when you told me…"

"No," he interrupted, more harshly than he had previously been with her. She didn't back up, but she stopped talking.

"I loved you, Padme. I still do. I wanted the baby. I want my son. It was a terrible mistake. I don't know why I attacked you, but I deeply regret it. I never meant to hurt you, Padme, or the baby. Please believe me."

Padme sighed and put her hand on his armored right arm, "Anakin, the truth is that once you gave yourself to your rage and your lust for power, you lost your inhibitions against using your Force powers for evil. Killing the Jedi younglings was a terrible crime. The man I married, the Anakin Skywalker I knew and loved, could not have done such a thing. When you pledged your allegiance to a manipulative Sith Lord, when you devoted yourself to the Dark Side, you became a different man. Don't do that to Luke, please. I beg you, don't destroy our son that way."

Her eyes, which were intently fixed on him, suddenly took on a slightly glassy look. She clutched at his arm, even as her voice dropped to little more than a whisper.

"Please Anakin, come away with me. Help me raise our child, while we still can!"

Her eyes fluttered and then she collapsed into Vader's arms, which he held out to her just in time.

He stared down at her now unconscious form in dismay, just as Luke's bedroom door opened and his son stepped out.

Luke approached quickly but not with particular anxiety.

"I sensed her lose unconsciousness. She does sometimes, at the end of a particularly active awakening."

Vader relaxed, even as he used the Force to com Doctor Sert to return.

"So this is not abnormal for her?"

He carried Padme back to her bed and used the Force to pull back the covers, then laid her in it and covered her up.

Luke smiled slightly, "No, it's not abnormal. Three awakenings ago Kenobi happened to be visiting, and she spent an invigorating hour yelling at him, then lapsed into unconsciousness. She's a total spitfire. I love seeing her like that. It gives me a glimpse of what she must have been like before I was born."

Vader frowned heavily under his mask, "Kenobi? So he was a welcome and frequent visitor in your home, I assume?"

"Neither frequent nor welcome…" Luke broke off as Doctor Sert rushed into the room.

After a brief explanation to the doctor, Luke and Vader retreated to the main living area while Sert fussed over his patient.

Luke continued in a soft tone, "Uncle Owen and Kenobi were not on good terms, and my uncle actually threw him out of the house a few times when I was younger. He did come over probably once every 2 months when Mother came to live with us. We worked on shielding. It doesn't come naturally to me."

Vader looked carefully at this son. He really needed to know more about Luke's training, but needed to be cautious not to demand answers harshly. Their relationship was too fragile.

"How have you progressed with your lightsaber training?" he asked delicately.

Luke shook his head a little, "I worked with a practice saber when I was younger, and with your old lightsaber until I was 16. Then, when I realized Ben was trying to fashion me into a tool to kill you, my own father, I refused to work on lightsaber training anymore."

Vader was taken aback. The ability to wield a lightsaber well was critical for a strong Force user.

"That seems…unwise, my son."

Luke stared straight at him, "I assumed that you would be hostile to me, Father. I didn't want to be tempted to even try to kill you, so I deliberately limited my ability to fight against you."

Vader was actually struck dumb. He had longed for power so long. The power to dominate, to direct his own destiny, to be safe from those who would seek to harm or control him. For Luke to refuse training, to deliberately limit his own abilities, was beyond his comprehension.

He reached out almost without thought, probing Luke for deception. His son's words rang with truth.

Interestingly, behind Luke's honesty was a substantial shield, guarding something. Luke must have secrets he was deliberately keeping from his father. That wasn't surprising, but it was clear that his son _had_ learned quite a bit about shielding, even if it wasn't something for which he had a natural aptitude.

His musings were cut short by Doctor Sert, who stepped out of the bedroom and waited courteously to be addressed.

Vader did so.

"How is she, Doctor?"

"She is doing very well, my Lord," Sert replied promptly, "She is in a very deep sleep but her brain patterns are regular. I expect she will rest for some time, but she has experienced no ill effects."

"She'll probably sleep at least 6 hours," Luke chimed in, "She always does after an awakening."

Vader nodded and dismissed the doctor.

"Well, this would be an excellent time for you to fly the TIE simulator, would it not?" he said to his son.

The smile on Luke's face was answer enough.

 ** _Author Note: I am not sure how reasonable Padme's brain problems are, but they make a good plot device! Someone wrote a review requesting a sassy Padme, and I hope you enjoyed this. It was fun having her yell at Vader._**

 ** _I continue to read and enjoy every review. Thank you!_**


	9. Chapter 9

_TIE Simulation Facility, Devastator_

Lieutenant Haltong groaned and stretched his neck. For convenience, the _Devastator_ operated on three 8 hour shifts, to correlate with the time zones on Imperial Center, where Emperor Palpatine ruled. Haltong was currently 7 hours into the "night" shift on the _Devastator_ ; while day and night naturally had no meaning on a ship in space, this shift was when more than 50% of the crew slept.

Thus, his work at the TIE fighter simulator facility during this shift was especially dull. There were five unhappy TIE pilots using the simulators, ordered to do additional sims after having performed poorly in a recent TIE fighter exercise. The other five simulators were empty.

Haltong put his hands together and squeezed hard, trying to will energy into his flagging body. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to watch an exciting holofilm. He wanted two large glasses of Corellian ale. He wanted something exciting to happen.

And then, suddenly, he got his wish (for the latter).

The door opened suddenly. Haltong turned his head and then leaped to his feet in terror, adrenaline coursing through his body.

For here, in the TIE simulator facility, in the dead of what was effectively night, was Lord Darth Vader himself.

Haltong stiffened to attention, devoutly hoping that his uniform wasn't too badly crumpled.

Vader swept in right after a very young man, whose slim form was dwarfed by the hulking Dark Lord. Haltong blinked in surprise. The youth had long hair (longer than regulation, definitely), a black uniform, no insignia, and was wearing what appeared to be a shock collar around his neck. This situation was far beyond Haltong's capability of interpreting sensibly.

Fortunately, the Dark Lord paid little attention to Haltong.

"This is our primary simulation facility," he rumbled, "There are ten TIE simulators against this wall. The other wall holds simulators for other starships, including one for a Rebel X-wing. That simulator is used only for advanced TIE pilots to better understand their enemies' likely tactics during a battle."

The young man nodded, looking around at the instrumentation and simulators with keen interest.

"Lieutenant," Vader barked at him, "Prepare a TIE simulator for this man, designating him as #5868."

Haltong nodded rapidly, and typed in the requisite number, "Which program should he start with, my Lord?"

Vader glanced at the young man, who said, "Well, sir, considering I've never flown out of atmosphere, probably I need to start at the beginning."

(Never flown out of atmo? Who was this guy?)

"Start with the tutorial, Lieutenant,"

Vader strode over to the nearest simulator as its door suddenly swung open silently, without the touch of a human (or prosthetic) hand. Haltong gulped quietly. He had never actually witnessed Lord Vader's strange powers…

He punched up the tutorial and turned back, to see the young man slipping himself into the simulator. He was short, probably too short for regulation. Not that being tall was an advantage for a TIE pilot as it meant a larger body in a small space, but nevertheless Imperial regulations were specific about allowed heights.

Not his job to worry about it, though.

To his discomfiture, Lord Vader retreated to Haltong's station and personally punched in the start of the tutorial. He also started the holocams in the 5868's simulator so that the young man's face was in one small section of the screen, and the view the young man was seeing filled the rest.

Haltong had never seen the TIE tutorial used on the _Devastator_ , as raw recruits were not stationed on Vader's ship. He watched with curiosity and bewilderment as the mysterious #5868 flew through the tutorial, learning the various TIE controls and doing a simulated flight over the skies of Imperial Center. The TIE simulator took him high above the buildings, so it was merely a question of turning the ship this way and that, not avoiding anything.

At the end of the Tutorial, Vader spoke into the com, "Prepare for the first maneuverability test."

He gestured at Haltong, who hesitantly started Maneuverability Test #1. This would send the young man through a simulation of a TIE flying through the canyons of Geonosis, an arid desert world in the Outer Rim. For reasons that were above Haltong's pay grade, the surface of Geonosis had been carefully mapped and this particular section of the planet was a confusing maze of canyons and buttes.

Even seasoned pilots had trouble with this maneuverability test; indeed, it was often used to knock an arrogant pilot down to size.

This kid wouldn't last 15 seconds.

He lasted 5 minutes. And when he did crash, it was due to the sudden and unexpected appearance of an aberrant butte in the TIE's path after a necessary hard right turn. No one avoided that hazard the first time. Or the second. Or even the third. The really good pilots figured out how to navigate that stretch the fourth time around.

The com flicked on and 5868 spoke, "Sir, I've noticed it handles with considerably more sensitivity than the X-34 landspeeder. Is that true for all TIES, or are there variations?"

Vader appeared to mull this for a moment, then responded, "TIE pilots are not permitted to make personal adjustments to their ships. However, TIES vary slightly and pilots are assigned to specific craft. It is of course important for each pilot to learn the specific handling of his own ship."

"That makes sense," 5868 said with remarkable casualness, "Can I try that again?"

Vader nodded to Haltong, who started the sim again.

He then watched, with a mouth that threatened to hang open, as the young man, an apparently totally inexperienced TIE pilot, completed all 20 minutes of the sim without another crash.

"Does the simulation take account of the effects on the TIE of flying in atmosphere, my Lord?" 5868 asked through the com.

"Yes," the Dark Lord replied, "Are you ready for a combat simulation in space?"

"Definitely!" the youth replied in what appeared to be a cheery tone. (The interactions between these two were truly bizarre.)

Haltong started the basic combat simulation. He was vaguely reassured when the young pilot promptly crashed his TIE twice, was blown up by an enemy X-wing next, and then was obliterated by a floating section of space debris.

Vader, on the other hand, felt a growing pride in his son. The failures were not the result of careless or poor flying, but rather a way for Luke to test the TIE's reactions to various conditions, to analyze the weapons, to gauge the flying style of the X-wings. Vader knew that considerable time, effort, and skill had been poured into the simulation programs, including grav devices that simulated G-force alterations during acceleration, deceleration, and twists and turns. Luke was "flying" in true battle conditions without the inherent danger.

The fifth sim run attempt coincided with the _Devastator_ 's shift change. The five other TIE pilots popped happily out of their simulators, only to discover to their barely concealed horror that Lord Darth Vader was in attendance. Vader would have been vaguely amused except that he was too focused on Luke. This simulation was of a battle over Corsin, a mountainous and lightly populated planet in the Expansion Region which had been the site of a space battle between poorly trained Imperials and Rebel cells seeking to hijack a convoy of valuable ore freighters. The Rebels had used X-wings, Y-wings, and a variety of other craft, making it a both confusing and difficult space battle.

Luke began this attempt by diving under the local capital ship, a predecessor to the Star Destroyer. He then flew directly into a squadron of enemy X-wings, twisting and turning, destroying them all.

There was a gasp from Haltong, and the other 5 pilots sidled over to watch as Luke continued to weave and turn, apparently sensing the presence of new ships before he could see them with his eyes.

The simulation was designed to last for as long as the battle, which had been a rather lengthy 45 minutes long.

As the sim continued, Vader could sense Luke sinking deeply into the Light Side of the Force. He increased his own shielding around his son, fearful that the Emperor would sense that blazing presence which was growing brighter by the minute. His son was tapping into the Force's energies, allowing his eyes and hands to move faster than was normally possible. More than that, Luke was obviously sensing to some degree what was going to happen as he would frequently flip his ship or turn to avoid an attack coming from out of his visual and scanner range.

Vader was suitably amazed. The simulation _was not real_! There were no real ships attacking his son, and yet Luke was somehow sensing what happened in the battle, the locations of the ships, in spite of not being able to stretch out in the Force to detect physical ships.

Behind him, slightly distracting him, he could sense the incredulity of the lieutenant and other TIE pilots. His son was flying the sim as it had never been flown before, and they knew it.

In the back of his mind, he knew this probably wasn't wise. He should have dismissed everyone before letting Luke into the TIE simulator, but he had not expected him to perform this well.

Mostly, he was proud. He had been the best starfighter in the galaxy in his youth. He still was the best starfighter in the galaxy. And he had passed on those gifts to his son.

Luke's kills and assists mounted on the master leader board as time continued, until he had the highest score ever seen on the _Devastator._ The final ten minutes of the simulation included a battle in and around a cluster of asteroids orbiting Corsin, with fighters darting in and out of floating chunks of rocks. It was the most difficult section of the simulation, but Luke's concentration only increased and at the 45 minute mark, the sim ended and Luke was still 'alive'.

There was a long pause, and then the simulator's door opened, and Luke climbed gracefully out. He looked tired and drained, but he was projecting wonder and delight and Vader smiled slightly to himself. His son's eyes held the faraway look that Vader recognized well. Luke was off in his own world, thinking about the battle and the TIE's handling.

He spoke before Luke could blurt out anything their audience would find (even more) bewildering.

"You did well," he rumbled formally, "It seems you will indeed be of use to the Empire."

Luke looked puzzled for about 2 seconds, then picked up on the need to conceal the situation from their audience. He bowed slightly and said, "I am pleased to know that, Lord Vader. I believe the canyons of my home world have been helpful in learning how to maneuver. I hope with time, I can further improve my performance."

This was met with such a wave of shock from the other men that Luke obviously noticed it and cast a nervous look at them, then at his father.

"Indeed, we will discuss possible alterations to training based on your prior experience and your performance today," Vader rumbled in response.

He turned to the 6 men watching, "Lieutenant Haltong, remove 5868's score from the leader board. His unusual prior experience makes today's performance an aberration, which would only obscure the board's legitimate purpose."

He felt the relief from the five TIE pilots. No one wanted to have _that_ score hanging on the top of the leader board, making them look like rank amateurs. Of course, they were rank amateurs, compared to his son.

He again felt a burst of pride and this time didn't shield it as well, as Luke looked at him with a mixture of surprise and embarrassed pleasure.

"Come," he ordered Luke coldly, covering up his lapse into paternal doting.

Luke followed him back to his quarters meekly enough. After both had checked on Padme, who was still asleep, Luke looked at his father with a brilliant light in his eye.

"Next time, can I try another ship?"

 ** _Author Note: You have been so patient. In the next chapter, we'll finally getting to the Death Star and see what Leia and Obi-wan and Tarkin have been up to._**


	10. Chapter 10

**_2 days later_**

 ** _Alderaan System_**

The _Devastator_ dropped out of lightspeed at the edge of the Alderaan system. Darth Vader, standing at the bow of the Star Destroyer, stared through the viewscreen. In the distance was the lovely blue green planet Alderaan, filled with more than 4 billion souls. Most of whom, if Vader was correct, would be dead within 24 hours.

Circling around the verdant planet was the cold spherical shape of the Death Star. Vader stared at it with interest and a faint sense of distaste. It had been in production for nearly 20 long years. While he considered it an aberration and a foolish waste of resources, it was his Master's pet project and he had been forced to protect it and its secrets for all this time.

And at last, it was operational.

A week ago he would have been indifferent to the fate of Alderaan's billions, but his wife and son were having an effect (his Master would say, a very bad one) on him. He knew they would be horrified at the destruction of Alderaan. Nevertheless, rationally, there was nothing to be done. The Death Star was Tarkin's to administrate. Emperor Palpatine had made that entirely clear to his Sith servant. It would be the height of folly to show even the slightest resistance to Palpatine's authority at this sensitive juncture, as Vader plotted how to keep his family hidden from Sidious's grasping clutches.

He had expended much time and thought on that issue. He had originally planned to leave Padme and Luke on the _Devastator_ , which would be kept in orbit around the Death Star. They were pleasantly situated in a suite, with a group of familiar guards, and Padme seemed content there. She had woken up yesterday and while not in an "awakening", she had chatted quite happily with him about esoteric aspects of Nabooian culture during a period of time 200 years ago known as the Great Rift. He had found himself mesmerized with the knowledge that flowed out of some obscure corner of his wife's mind. He did not, of course, care anything about art from 200 years ago, but listening to her passionate speech and insightful comments about the connection between politics and art had reminded him intensely of the old Padme.

Except that she didn't remember who he was. And while that was unsettling, after their discussion the day before he rather enjoyed that she didn't berate him.

He and Luke had made a quiet trip to the sim facility again, and Luke had tested the X-wing simulator. Not surprisingly, his son had mastered the X-wing even more rapidly than the TIE, as the X-wing controls were similar to those of the T-35 landspeeder.

So yes, the _Devastator_ was, in many ways, a good place for his family.

But…

But he didn't feel right, either intellectually or through the Force, about leaving them on the ship without his personal protection. He had to be on the Death Star within two hours. Once he was there, it was not clear how long it would be before he could return to his Star Destroyer again.

He did not know how much Palpatine knew, or Tarkin. So far, there had been no hints that either were aware of who was living secretly on his ship. But to leave them unprotected meant that if the Emperor became aware of his son's existence, he could easily mount a kidnapping raid and snatch them both.

And then Luke would be lost. Vader knew enough about his son to know that his child would do almost anything to protect Padme, including probably turning to the Dark Side. Threatening Padme was not possible for Vader. He loved her too much, and their son knew it. But Darth Sidious? He would have no hesitation at all in taking Padme Amidala Skywalker and using her to force their son into line. And then it was all too likely that Luke would be incited to attack his father, with the winner emerging as Sidious's apprentice.

So no, it felt right to take both on board the Death Star, though the quarters for them would not be as luxurious or inherently secure as here on the _Devastator_. But he would be within walking distance from them at all times, albeit a fairly long walk. The Death Star was immense. But his personal area on the Death Star was large and included space for a substantial number of troops from the 501st. With a little surreptitious alteration, he could provide a safe space for his wife and son, surrounded by his most trusted soldiers. And it was close to the command center, where he would spend much of his time.

A few hours ago, he had told Luke that it was time for a haircut and change of clothing. Somewhat to his surprise (weren't teens inherently difficult?), Luke had meekly allowed the military style haircut and the new uniform, which carried the insignia of an ensign. Padme was outfitted with a dark chocolate colored robe which covered her magnificent hair and distinctively lovely features.

Doctor Sert and Medic Fentesto, both sworn to secrecy, would accompany his wife and son.

So yes, this was the best possible plan in a situation fraught with uncertainty. He didn't trust Luke to continue to be submissive. He didn't trust Padme to act in a sane manner. But at least if they acted up, he would be nearby.

And if Tarkin threatened his family, he would strangle that emaciated _califraux_ (there were times when Huttese was useful) on the spot. He had his limits.

A commander stepped forward, interrupting his brooding thoughts.

"My Lord, your shuttle is ready for the trip to the Death Star."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Governor Wilhuff Tarkin looked up from his desk as the door slid open.

Lord Darth Vader (finally) stepped through. It had taken surprisingly long for the _Devastator_ to travel from Tatooine, but it was of no importance. It was possible Vader had sent people to the planet's surface to investigate Kenobi's path of escape; if so, Tarkin had news that would please the Dark Lord mightily.

He stood up and stepped forward, vaguely annoyed as usual at how much Vader towered over him.

"Lord Vader, I am pleased to see you here. You are in time to observe the first test this station's turbolaser."

"That is indeed a fortunate circumstance," Vader replied.

Tarkin tilted his head slightly to the right. Vader's vocoder made it difficult to determine his true views on a subject, but Tarkin had long suspected he was less than impressed with the Death Star.

But that was not important either. Vader was the Emperor's creature, body, soul, and spirit, and Palpatine was delighted with the Death Star and its capabilities.

"I have news that should please you, Lord Vader," Tarkin continued.

He turned to his com station and entered a few rapid symbols. Two viewscreens lit up.

Vader stepped forward and then froze in astonishment.

"Kenobi? You have him in custody?" he asked, with far more incredulity in his voice than usual. (How had he not sensed him when they arrived on board? He could only assume that his focus on Padme and Luke and settling them safely and quickly had distracted him from his old master's Force presence. Now that he was aware, he could feel his old master – though Kenobi _was_ shielding.)

Tarkin permitted himself a superior smile, "Indeed, Lord Vader. Based on your information, we determined that Kenobi and Princess Leia Organa arrived on Alderaan a few hours before this station arrived to orbit the planet. Given their knowledge of the capabilities of the Death Star, I decided on the direct approach. I contacted Bail and Breha Organa on an open Holonet channel with the evidence tying Princess Leia to the Jedi traitor Kenobi. I insisted that they turn over their daughter and the Jedi and the Death Star plans or I would obliterate the planet immediately. Given the situation, they felt they had no choice and we arrested both individuals 7 hours ago. We also have the R2 droid carrying the plans in custody."

Vader stared at the viewscreen at his old master. Kenobi was seated on the floor of his cell, his hands manacled, one leg chained to the wall, and a shock collar around his neck. He knew Kenobi was being incarcerated in a special cell designed for Force sensitives. At last, at last, he would have his revenge on his old master for the injuries of Mustafar.

(But what about Luke? His son was effectively Kenobi's apprentice, though obviously not in the rigid way of the Order. He would definitely sense if Vader harmed Kenobi, and would likely be very upset about it. He would have to consider that issue later.)

He pulled his eyes away Kenobi and looked at the other screen. The tiny figure of Princess Leia Organa paced back and forth in a small cell.

"I wish to know the location of the main Rebel base before we destroy Alderaan," Tarkin said, "I invite you to choose which prisoner to interrogate."

Vader considered rapidly but the decision was easy. For all that it would be a pleasure to pull information out of his master, it would likely take weeks to break Kenobi and they were all in a hurry to destroy the Rebellion, which had grown surprisingly cocky in the last few years. (Some small part of his brain dwelled on the truth that Kenobi had willingly exiled himself on dusty Tatooine to watch over his son, and later his wife as well. While he was angry that he had been kept unaware of their existence, he had to admit that was generous of his former master…)

"I will interrogate the Princess personally and provide the location of the Rebel base within hours," he said coldly.

A young girl like that, soft, raised in luxury, would likely last all of ten minutes against him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

 _25 minutes later_

 _Cell Block AA23_

Darth Vader followed 2 black clad guards to Cell 2187. He opened the door and the two guards stepped in and took their places on either side of the opening. Vader followed them in, automatically lowering his head to avoid hitting the top of the door. (Death Star cells were not designed for mammoth Sith Lords.)

Princess Leia Organa was sitting on the cold metal bench which served as the only luxury in the cell. She stiffened as Vader moved to one side of her.

"And now, your Highness," he rumbled coldly, "We will discuss the location of your hidden rebel base."

Organa looked at him in bewilderment, then turned, her eyes widening in dismay as the interrogation droid floated in behind him. She shrank into a corner and Vader stepped forward, preparing to hold her still as the droid injected truth serum into her body.

At that moment, there was the sound of two rapid stun shots. Vader spun around to see his son, eyes blazing, holding a blaster. The two guards lay on the floor, stunned. With a wave of his right hand, Luke gestured at the interrogation droid, which promptly smashed hard into the wall and then slid to the floor, sparking pathetically. Behind him, the door slid shut.

Vader was filled with anger, outrage, surprise, and a thin thread of shame at being found interrogating a beautiful young woman. Without thinking, his hand went to his lightsaber, though he didn't light it.

"How _dare_ you intrude on me in the middle of my duties?" he demanded, allowing his full wrath to billow out towards his son.

Luke, as usual, did not back down, "I will intrude any time you dare to…"

"Luke, no!" cried the Princess.

"…do anything to harm my _twin sister_!" he finished.

Vader froze in complete and utter shock.

"Luke, how could you presume to tell him?" the Princess said, her own eyes shifting from fear to blazing indignation.

Luke turned to her, "Leia, I know you are tough, but you being tortured by our own father is something I will prevent if I can!"

"He," she hissed with rage, pointing at Vader, "Is not my father. Bail Organa is my father. That hulking monstrosity is, if you like, the male human who contributed half of my genetic material, but he is not my father. And there is no reason to think our unfortunate genetic connection would have any influence on our interactions. He nearly choked Mother to death when she was pregnant with us, if you would care to remember."

( _Twins. He and Padme had twins.)_

"Leia…"

"You had no right to tell him! That was my decision to make, not yours!"

"I'm your older brother, Leia. I made an executive decision."

"Older? You are five minutes older, Luke. _Five minutes_! Just because you pushed your way out first is no reason…"

"And I'm taller, too," Luke continued gravely.

There was a pause and Leia Organa stared at the youth and suddenly her face relaxed into a smile. And the smile was the smile of Padme Amidala.

"Oh Luke," she said as she moved forward and embraced him, "I was so worried about you and Mother. Are you all right? How is Mother?"

"I'm fine, Leia, and Mother is well too. Lord Vader has been taking very good care of us both. So you are wrong. I am confident his treatment of you will change based on the fact that you are part of his biological family."

This was said with a challenging look towards Vader.

Vader was too amazed to reassure the princess of Alderaan.

"Twins?" he asked rather foolishly.

"Yes, Father," Luke explained patiently, "Twins. You know, two babies born at the same time to the same parents. You have to admit Leia is the very image of Mother."

Vader turned and looked at Princess Leia Organa. Yes, the same eyes, the same hair. How could he have missed it? And he could now sense, dimly, a strong bond between both the young people standing in front of him. A twin bond.

"You should have told me, Son," he said weakly.

"I think it is all too clear that Leia didn't want me to, Father," Luke responded, obviously using the paternal word in an effort to encourage patience and understanding, "But when I sensed where she was, and knew you were closing in on her, I decided I had to interfere."

"It shouldn't matter," the princess said suddenly, "It doesn't really matter that I'm biologically your progeny, Lord Vader. You want to torture me, do your worst. I will not tell you anything. Do you understand that? The deal was that I would surrender, not that I would release secrets. You have _no right_ …"

"What deal?" Luke interrupted anxiously.

The princess obviously made an effort to calm down, and sighed, "Tarkin threatened to destroy Alderaan if Kenobi and I didn't turn ourselves in, along with the Death Star plans. There was a visual and audio recording showing us all together at the Lars' farm. I convinced my parents that I had to surrender. Alderaan…I had to save Alderaan. You understand that, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Luke replied reassuringly, putting an arm around her again, "Where are the Lars?"

"They are in the Royal Palace with my parents."

Organa's face (he couldn't quite think of her as 'Leia' yet) suddenly transformed again with that glorious smile, "You should have seen them the first time there was a rainstorm, Luke. They had never seen rain before. Can you believe that?"

"Leia, _I've_ never seen rain before," Luke pointed out.

Leia blinked in astonishment.

"No, I guess you haven't," she said with wonder.

"Anyway, our adoptive families are safe," she continued with relief.

Vader hesitated, then spoke, "They are not safe. Tarkin intends to destroy Alderaan."

The princess looked at him with horror and paled, "Tarkin promised. On the open Holonet. How could he possibly justify destroying the planet? We surrendered!"

"He has no intention of justifying anything, Princess," he replied softly, "The Tarkin Doctrine includes rule through fear. He has always intended to destroy a populated planet and Alderaan's ties to the Rebellion make it the obvious target."

Princess Leia swayed and Luke tightened his grip on her.

"No, no, not Alderaan! We are a peaceful planet, we have no weapons, you can't possibly destroy it!"

"Father, how can you possibly justify this, even as a Dark Sider?" Luke demanded with distress, "There are more than four billion people on that planet. Most of them have nothing to do with the Rebellion against the Empire. You are planning genocide!"

There was a long, painful pause.

"He doesn't care, Luke," Leia said with weary resignation, "Why would he care? He destroyed the Jedi younglings, he has tortured and abused and killed thousands, he attacked his own wife and children. What are the deaths of a few billion more innocents on his twisted and blackened soul?"

Vader cringed at her words, his emotions roiling. Luke stared at him intently, obviously sensing his confusion.

He released his sister and stepped forward, laying hands on his father's arms, "Father, please! Please. Our adoptive families are on Alderaan. It is your daughter's homeworld. Please, don't let his happen. You have the power to stop this!"

"I do not, my son," the Dark Lord responded wearily. He turned away from the accusing gazes of his children, "My Master has tasked Tarkin with the operation of this battle station and its targets. I do not have the authority to countermand Tarkin's orders."

"And do you always do what your Master tells you to do?" Luke inquired carefully.

There was another pause. Vader considered this. Of course, he didn't. He had been rebelling against Palpatine in subtle ways for at least 15 years. And he was planning to openly overthrow him, now that he knew he had a living child.

Now that he had _two_ living children.

Logically, the timing was not right to move openly against Palpatine. He had no plans in place.

But looking at the pleading eyes of his children, he knew he must act _now_ if he wanted to develop a relationship with either of them. He already knew that Luke longed for a father and was willing to give him a chance, in spite of all the (legitimately terrible) things he had no doubt heard from Kenobi. But if Vader stood by and let his aunt and uncle, his _de facto_ parents, die on Alderaan? If he allowed the Organas to perish with their planet?

(Vader had reason, too, to be grateful to both the Lars and the Organas. His experience with human babies was extremely limited, but he had a vague awareness of extreme helplessness, of interrupted nights, of crying without clear communication, of messes and bad smells. These two couples had cared for his children while neither parent was available to care for them. And indeed, what would have happened if Palpatine had found his twins when they were newborns and he was still raw and broken from the fight on Mustafar? He shuddered at the very thought.)

He had taught himself to move more slowly than Anakin Skywalker had, to think before acting. But right now, he must act. Tarkin intended to destroy Alderaan within hours and if he was to interfere, he must do it soon.

"Very well," he said abruptly, causing both his children to start, "Very well, I will intervene to save Alderaan."

The princess looked astonished, then suspicious.

Luke looked hopeful, "You'll talk to Tarkin, then?"

Vader smiled slightly to himself.

He really did loathe Tarkin.

"No, my son," he said calmly. He looked at the lightsaber, still in his hand, fondly.

"No, it is time for _aggressive negotiations_."

 ** _Author Note: I'm sure you all have questions about Luke and Leia and their prior relationship. I'll delve into those matters later._**


	11. Chapter 11

_Imperial Palace, Imperial Center_

Emperor Sheev Palpatine, Senior Sith Lord, sat at the table in his dining chamber, overlooking the glorious sprawl of Imperial Center, the ruling city of his Empire. With a sigh of contentment he contemplated his dinner, in particular, and his life, in general, with pleasure.

Yes, it was well to enjoy the good things in life. Today, as an aperitif, he was drinking Alderaanian Ruge Liqueur (shortly to become _exceedingly_ rare.) He would follow that with a main dish of fodu with green fire sauce, with a side of Coruscanti rets bread.

And then for dessert, he would enjoy the destruction of Alderaan.

He lifted his glass and watched the liqueur swirl around slowly. Yes, at long last, after 20 years of planning and construction, the Death Star was poised to destroy the world of Alderaan. Alderaan, with its mountains and cities, its vast oceans and tiny glens. It's people. The reverberations of so much loss of life could only strengthen the Dark Side, and his complete power over the galaxy.

He sighed with satisfaction, put down his glass, and closed his eyes, sinking into the abyss of hatred, rage, and lust for power that defined his existence. The Dark Side beckoned and served him, surrounding him with the power to control the lives and destinies of the trillions over whom he ruled.

Only a few hours ago, Palpatine had received positive confirmation that Obi-wan Kenobi was in Imperial custody on the Death Star. He had been pleased that Vader would shortly wreak his vengeance on the old man. It would strengthen his servant in Darkness, while wiping out one of the few people in the galaxy who had ever had a substantial influence on the former Anakin Skywalker.

Sidious opened his eyes and picked up his fork, delicately tasting the fodu. The sauce was slightly more spicy than he liked. But he was in a good mood, and this particular cook had largely proven excellent. He would merely warn the man, not kill him.

He took a few more bites, interspersed with flaky rets bread.

Yes, indeed, this was the life. He took yet another bite, and then almost choked. A sudden surge in the Force crashed into him, strong enough to physically shake him.

What was _that_?

His dinner forgotten, he straightened up and stared intently ahead, his eyes no longer seeing the lavish dining room, but instead focusing on the fluctuations in the Force. Unexpectedly, incredibly, there was a sudden intense brightness in the fabric of the Force, blinding his mind's eye, delving into space where once there was only Darkness.

He sank deeper into the Force. The future was no longer clear. Something was blocking the unambiguous path to the destruction of Alderaan. Oddly, incredibly, there were other paths now. His usual prescience was somehow limited. The powerful new Light was bitter and painful to the ancient evil in his spirit.

Angry and yes, concerned, Palpatine set down his fork and turned away from his dinner. He had most definitely lost his appetite.

He stood and retreated to his Throne Room, intent on seeking out this new threat to his rule.

/-/-/-

 _Padme Amidala Skywalker's quarters, the Death Star_

Padme smiled pleasantly at Dr. Sert as he removed the biometric device from around her neck. It had been chafing, and he deemed it no longer necessary to monitor her health.

"There you go, Madame," he said courteously, "I believe you will find that much more comfortable."

"Thank you, Doctor," she responded politely.

She stood up from the couch and walked over to the viewscreen, "What is that planet, Doctor?"

Sert paused. Was he supposed to tell her?

"Do you recognize it?" he inquired as a deflective statement.

"No, but the clouds remind me of something."

She smiled, gloriously. She really was a lovely woman.

"Anakin and I were in a starship together and got hit by a lightning storm in the midst of major cloud cover. All our instrumentation went out. He guided us down using the Force alone. He really was an amazing pilot, my Anakin."

She smiled impishly, "Of course, Obi-wan was angry at him for taking me out in a major thunderstorm to start with. Ani was also a daredevil. Did I tell you he won the Boonta Eve Classic?"

Sert smiled back at her. She was certainly an interesting case. Sometimes comatose, sometimes completely lucid, usually somewhere in between. Always charming. Whoever this Anakin was (assuming he truly existed), he was something else. (What was the Boonta Eve Classic? It could be a cooking competition for all he knew.)

"Yes, Madame, you did tell me that. Would you care to rest? You've been up for quite a while."

"Yes, Doctor, I am rather tired."

/-/-/-

 _Obi-wan Kenobi's Cell, the Death Star_

Obi-wan Kenobi shifted slightly, attempting to relieve the cramp of sitting on a cold floor for hours, with hands and one leg manacled.

He sighed. He had been given neither food nor water since his arrest 11 hours ago, but that wasn't vitally important. He had been hungrier, and thirstier, on Tatooine many times.

Again, he stretched out his senses, and again felt a strange mixture of bewilderment and cautious hopefulness.

When he had surrendered to Imperial Forces along with Anakin's daughter, he had felt a deeper sense of despair than the day he left the girl's father in pieces on Mustafar. He already assumed they had lost the boy. To lose the girl now would be devastating beyond his capacity to imagine.

But there had been no choice. Even now, he was confident that hastily made copies of the Death Star plans were on the final leg to Yavin, where Rebel operatives would pore over them in the hopes of finding a weakness. He could not stand by and let Alderaan be destroyed to protect either himself or Leia Organa.

And so, he had surrendered. He had known, and faced with courage, the reality that his death would be neither swift nor pleasant at the hands of the man he had mutilated. He was gravely disturbed about Leia. He knew her brother better, but Kenobi knew she was strong and brave and, given her admittedly limited training in the Force, would be able to stand up against torture. But would Vader sense that Force training? If he found out who she really was, it was almost inevitable he would take her as an apprentice, turn her Dark. And she was filled with both vitality and anger, Princess Leia Organa. More anger than her brother.

But then, a few hours ago, he had sensed the presence of Luke Skywalker, and the boy's presence was brilliant with light. He was alive, well, and had not turned.

Two hours ago, the three Skywalkers (by blood, if not by name) had apparently congregated at one point in the battle station. Obi-wan had been nearly frantic with worry and excitement, in spite of long years of meditation in the desert. He had felt fear, distress, and anxiety, followed by shock, then hope. The feelings barraged at him from all three Force users, complicated by variable attempts at shielding, and their signatures were similar enough that he could not tell who was feeling what. But there was, without a doubt, a cataclysmic surge in the Force, changing everything.

But as for what specifically had happened, he had no idea.

He lifted his head. Someone was approaching his cell.

The door opened

-/-/-/-/-

Admiral Motti, Chief of the Imperial Navy, stepped forward as Governor Wilhuff Tarkin turned from the transparisteel window showing the planet of Alderaan in the distance.

"Governor Tarkin, all systems are operational and our men are standing by, prepared to fire."

Governor Wilhuff Tarkin nodded, then turned toward the corridor leading into this, the main command center of the Death Star. Entering the room was the princess of Alderaan, Leia Organa.

Motti stared at Organa with some interest. She was younger than he expected, surprisingly lovely, and carried the arrogance of generations of Alderaanian royalty in her proud step despite the guards and the chains around her wrists. Behind her was an old man, also manacled, with a shock collar around his neck and two more guards. Behind them all was the tall, menacing figure of Darth Vader.

Motti was actually rather pleased that Vader had failed to break the Princess. Yet another obvious example of Vader's limitations, in spite of his so-called Force powers. (Not that Motti doubted those Force powers. He knew they existed. He just believed that intelligence and ambition and technology were more than equal to an esoteric quasi-religious faith in some cosmic energy field.)

The princess interrupted his cogitations. She stood proudly in front of Tarkin, now with Vader directly behind her. The old man (probably the Jedi traitor Kenobi?) was off to one side, now with four guards surrounding him.

"Governor Tarkin! I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash," Princess Leia said, raising her chin defiantly, "I recognized your _foul stench_ when I was brought on board."

Tarkin stepped forward and grasped her by the chin. (Motti noticed that Vader stiffened at that motion. Odd.)

"Charming, to the last," Tarkin nearly purred, "You don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life."

Organa wrenched her chin away, "I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself."

Tarkin stepped away, "Princess Leia, before your execution, I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational."

He turned to her directly, "No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."

"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin," Princess Leia said coolly, "The more star systems will slip through your fingers."

Tarkin stared at her intently, "Not after we've demonstrated the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that will be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan."

Leia Organa's face changed from arrogance to horror, "No, Alderaan is peaceful, we have no weapons, you can't possibly…"

"You would prefer another target, a military target? Then name the system," he said, advancing on her menacingly. She backed away from him, her eyes wide, until she was stopped by Vader's mammoth form.

Tarkin's voice dropped in volume, though Motti could still hear him clearly, "I grow tired of asking this, so it will be for the last time. Where is the rebel base?"

Leia Organa stared through the window at Alderaan, floating lonely and fragile in the void.

"Dantooine," she said, and lowered her head with despairing submission, "They're on Dantooine."

"There, you see, Lord Vader?" Tarkin said with satisfaction, "I told you she could be reasonable. Continue with the operation, you may fire…"

He was interrupted by a sudden fluid movement from Vader, who stepped around the princess, ignited his lightsaber, and cut off Tarkin's head in one swift motion. For a bizarre moment, the headless corpse stood, then fell over with a gentle thump onto the floor.

Admiral Motti froze, too shocked to even think, much less act. Before his astounded stare, Darth Vader reached out a black gloved hand. Three of the guards standing around the Jedi lost their blasters, which were yanked out of their hands. The weapons flew toward the Dark Lord and fell to the floor. Vader then stalked menacingly over to the men and instruments which controlled the Death Star's superlaser, his red lightsaber humming with deadly intent.

Behind Vader, the princess calmly divested herself of her chains, and snatched a blaster from the ground. Motti, shaken to the core, turned to the lone guard still with a blaster, only to see him fire stun shots at the other 3 guards and then turn to the Jedi traitor Obi-wan Kenobi.

"Stand still, Ben," the guard said, "Let me get these off of you."

Motti finally found his voice, though it was a feeble one, "Vader, what are you doing?"

The men at the superlaser controls froze in terror, waiting.

"Admiral Motti, officers, gentlemen," Vader announced in his most ominous voice, "I am commandeering this space station."

 ** _Author Note: Admiral Motti was Force choked by Vader in the original New Hope film, though he survived as Tarkin called Vader off. This AU changes the time line enough that the conference room meeting didn't occur. But Motti still gets to see Vader's Force powers in action._**

 ** _Again thanks to my beta, my wonderful husband K._**

 ** _And to all you wonderful people reviewing and following, many thanks._**


	12. Chapter 12

_Death Star, Landing Bay #6_

 _2 hours later_

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa stood, side by side, at one side of Landing Bay #6 on the Death Star.

It was a scene of controlled chaos. Troops were landing and disembarking. Other ships were taking off. The traffic was mostly between Darth Vader's _Devastator_ and the Death Star, though a few ships departed and went into lightspeed to unknown destinations.

Behind the twins was an honor guard of eight members of Vader's 501st, the so-called Vader's Fist. Leia, who knew far more about the 501st than Luke, smiled wryly at the irony of being protected by members of this most infamous of stormtrooper legions.

To her right stood her brother, blue eyes filled with anticipation, the tan in his skin fading after days away from Tatooine's twin suns. Leia looked at him and felt a surge of intense love in her heart for her brother. He had sacrificed much to keep her safe, and to keep their Mother safe. She had thought she would lose them both. To be here, an honored guest instead of a prisoner, a daughter and sister instead of an orphan and bereaved sibling, was far more than she had hoped.

Her biological sire was still a _major_ problem, but she was thankful for what she had.

Her brother, obviously picking up on her mood, reached out with his left arm and gave her a hug.

"I'm thankful too," he said, then looked up, "I sense them coming, Leia!"

Leia stepped forward a few steps, and was vaguely irritated when her honor guard stepped forward too. It felt rather like she was still a prisoner, but Vader had said, in a voice that brooked no argument, that since they were his children, he would ensure they were protected when in public places. Furthermore, if they didn't submit to being guarded, he would lock them up. She had exchanged a few verbal barbs with him, but then had given in with poor grace.

"It's the _Millennium Falcon_!" she said in surprise, peering at the ship which was entering the vast landing bay.

"What's that?" Luke asked curiously.

"It's the ship we hired to take us from Tatooine to Alderaan, crewed by a Corellian smuggler and his Wookie co-pilot. I don't know why Captain Solo is still hanging around. He apparently had some debts to pay off and I know my parents recompensed him."

Luke stared in disbelief at the incoming freighter as it gracefully lowered itself onto the floor of the bay.

"You came in that thing? Leia, you are even braver than I thought."

"Yeah, she's a total piece of junk," Leia agreed, "And the pilot is an arrogant scoundrel. Still, I admit she's fast and maneuverable. He managed to evade pursuit leaving Tatooine, though partly that was your doing. They didn't send all that many ships after us."

"Father was rather distracted," Luke agreed, though in a quiet enough tone that their honor guard couldn't hear him.

Leia was even quieter, "I wish you wouldn't call him that, Luke."

Luke opened his mouth, then shut it. This wasn't the place for _that_ conversation.

The landing ramp lowered. Leia and Luke both approached quickly (with honor guard in tow) as Bail and Breha Organa, and Owen and Beru Lars, came cautiously down the ramp and onto the landing bay.

"Leia," Breha cried out joyfully, and ran forward to throw her arms around her daughter. Bail followed, looking equally delighted.

Beru Lars swiftly enfolded her nephew in a hug, while Owen Lars tagged along behind, looking uncomfortable but relieved.

There was a brief babble of confused talk, limited by the public venue to loud small talk and a few whispered words about the critical events of the last few hours. Both of the elder Organas were experienced politicians, generally able to conceal their emotions. The news, however, that Alderaan had been within minutes of destruction drove the blood from both their faces, and the news that Vader had been the one to intervene left Breha astonished and Bail extremely thoughtful.

Owen and Beru Lars looked suitably confused and uncomfortable. Their nephew felt a stab of sympathy at their predicament. It was quite a change from Tatooine's dusty and remote plains, and they had every reason to be concerned about Vader.

"Don't worry," he said vaguely, but reassuringly.

Owen frowned, but Beru spoke quickly, "We won't, Luke. I promise. How is your mother?"

"She's doing very well. I was hoping you'd be willing to go spend time with her, though. I need to attend a meeting and she would benefit from time with familiar people. She has an excellent doctor and an equally devoted medic looking after her, but there is nothing like family."

Tears fell from Beru's eyes, and even Owen's eyes looked bright.

"Of course we are delighted to help with her," Beru said and Owen chimed in, "We are glad you are safe, Luke, and your mother too."

Luke nodded and gestured to one of his troopers. The man stepped forward and, after Luke explained the situation, said, "If you'll follow me, sir and madam."

Bail and Breha Organa were also leaving with a guard guiding them, though Luke knew that they were going to the Death Star command center to consult with Vader and Kenobi. (Somewhere in his brain, he contemplated the insanity of the upcoming meeting. Kenobi and Vader, working together? Who would have ever thought _that_ possible.)

"Are you ready to head up to the command center?" Leia asked, still with her arm around her brother. There was a sudden shout from the _Falcon_ , which caused both Luke and Leia to look up.

Luke saw a tall, handsome, dark haired man in a white shirt, dark vest, and Corellian bloodstripes who had descended the ramp to the landing bay floor. He looked to be in his early 30's.

"Hey, Princess, would you be _so kind_ as to give me a minute of your valuable time?"

Luke heard Leia huff with exasperation, but she nonetheless strode quickly towards the Corellian.

"Yes, Captain Solo?" she demanded, "What can I do for you?"

"You," Solo responded snidely, "Can remove your blasted protocol droid from my ship. It's bad enough I'm parked on this monstrosity. If I have to listen anymore to that tin plated translator I will go entirely mad, or blast him into pieces, whichever seems more appealing at the time."

"C-3P0 is a valuable resource to House Organa," Leia responded frigidly, "And I would appreciate you not threatening his well being."

"I'm sure we can take him off your hands, Captain Solo," Luke said, intervening. He cast a curious glance at Leia. Through their twin bond, he was sensing some powerful emotion roiling in his sister, and it wasn't _all_ exasperation.

"Thank you," Solo responded sarcastically, "And you are?"

"I'm sorry," Luke responded, holding out his right hand, "I'm Luke Skywalker, a close friend of Leia's."

An odd expression flitted across Solo's face, and he turned to Leia, even as he shook hands with Luke, "A friend, huh? I didn't think an ice princess like you would have a boyfriend."

Luke and Leia both jerked, equally repulsed expressions appearing on their faces.

Leia blurted out, "No, it's not like that at all, he's my…"

"Leia!" Luke said warningly. They were keeping their twin relationship a secret for now, for fear that Palpatine would make Leia a target if he found out.

She looked at him apologetically, and continued more moderately, "Luke is just a really good, trusted friend. It is not a romance."

"Definitely not," Luke found himself adding with a mutter.

Solo's eyes narrowed curiously, and Luke realized there was a great deal of intelligence in those eyes.

Leia interrupted Solo's ruminations by continuing, "I fail to see what business it is of yours, Captain Solo, anyway. And why are you here? You mentioned debts. I would have assumed you would have cleared out as soon as you got your money, and I know my parents paid you. You will no doubt promptly run up more debts, but it would be an interesting and unusual experience to be at financial peace with the galaxy, would it not? Even for a day?"

Solo smiled roguishly, "Indeed they did pay me, Princess, the full 17,000 credits as promised. But your mother asked me to stand by for possible transport since the known ships of House Organa might not be the safest way to get away from Alderaan. Of course, I didn't really expect to end up on this space station, but if the credits keep flowing I can wait on Jabba for a while."

"I wouldn't suggest waiting too long," Luke responded, "The Hutts can be bitter and malicious enemies. I spent most of my life on Tatooine, and we tried to avoid antagonizing them."

Solo looked at him with interest, and said, "I can wait a little longer. I hate to say no to a Queen."

"Very well, Captain," Leia said crisply, "Thank you for your offer of assistance. I would strongly suggest that you stay aboard your ship until we arrange for suitable lodgings on board this space station. It would be a pity if a trigger happy stormtrooper put a shot through that handsome head of yours."

"They'd be way more likely to get their own heads blasted off, Princess," Solo retorted.

One of the twins' guards stepped forward and Solo put up a placating hand, "Just saying I'm a good shot, fellows. I won't cause any problems."

"See that you don't," came the altered voice of the trooper through his helmet, "And now, sir, I suggest you return to your ship."

Luke and Leia watched as Solo turned around and casually reboarded the _Millennium Falcon_. A moment later, a fussy and distressed C-3PO waddled down the ramp.

"That man drives me mad," Leia said quietly, even while beckoning to C-3PO.

"So I can see," Luke said with an amused grin.

/-/-/-

 _Concurrently, in the Death Star's Command Center hub_

Vader turned away from the viewscreen and spoke, "Captain, send an order to all Death Star personnel, except for the 501st, that due to a security issue Protocol C32 is now in effect. All personnel designated non-station essential must return to their personal quarters and remain in their specific pods until further notice. Meals and sleeping shifts will continue on normal schedules. Essential personnel will work an additional 4 hour shift at their current locale and then will be relieved by the next shift."

"Yes, my Lord," responded the 501st officer.

"General Tagge and Admiral Motti are secure?" Vader continued.

"Yes, my Lord, and the rest of the command staff have been detained per your orders."

"Good work, Captain," Vader replied, "Check passes of all those entering the Command Center and detain anyone without personal authorization from Commander Tregast."

Tregast was one of his most faithful and loyal officers, with experience and intelligence beyond his years.

"Yes, my Lord," the captain replied.

Vader glanced over at the Death Star superlaser controls, now in pieces due to close encounters with an active lightsaber. It wouldn't take long to repair, but for now, no one would be able to creep on board and fire the weapon.

With an internal sigh, Vader strode over to a small conference room connected to the main control room of the Command Hub.

He paused at the door to the conference room, stilled himself, and walked through the door.

The room was empty except for one person, but that one person was Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi himself. Vader's balled his hands into fists, but he managed to maintain at least a semblance of tranquility

Kenobi looked up at his entrance, his face a mask of annoying Jedi calm. He then looked back down and continued tucking in to a substantial, if not very appetizing, meal, washing it down with draughts of water.

With Kenobi studiously avoiding his gaze, Vader felt free to stare. It had been 19 years since they had fought at Mustafar. He was now a human cyborg. His former master, while still possessing all limbs and other body parts, was _old_. His hair was white, his face thin, his skin tanned and wrinkled by the desert wind and heat. He had aged more than 19 years during his time in exile.

Vader looked down at his belt, now with not one but three lightsabers hanging on it. It felt odd. He had always wielded but one saber, though others (Ahsoka…but no, he didn't want to think of her) fought with two.

He had his collection of lightsabers, yes, ones that he had taken from those many Jedi who had fallen to him. They were trophies, memories, whispers from the Dark of his own power and ability to conquer those who opposed him. But of all the sabers in the galaxy, these three lightsabers meant the most. One, the red one of his current life. Another, the blue lightsaber of his old life as Anakin Skywalker, and the one that he had used when he fought against the owner of the third saber. Slowly, almost mesmerized, he lit that third saber. It was this blue bladed weapon, wielded by Kenobi, that had resulted in the loss of three limbs, followed by his baptism in the lava flows of Mustafar. It was this saber that made him more machine now than man.

Kenobi spoke, and Vader looked up to find his former teacher gazing at him with quiet compassion, "If you are going to kill me, Vader, I suggest you do it before your children arrive."

Vader shut down the saber, and took a step towards Kenobi, though they were separated by the table, providing both physical and emotional distance.

"I will not kill you, Kenobi," he said, forcing himself to speak calmly, "But _only_ because my children, Luke in particular, have made it clear they care for you. If it wasn't for my son, you would already be dead."

Kenobi nodded and said, "Then I am most grateful to Luke."

There was an uncomfortable pause and then Kenobi stood up slowly, making it clear that he was not intending any threat.

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

"That is not my name!" Vader snapped.

"Vader then. I am sorry. Sorry for not supporting you when you were experiencing those nightmares about Padme, sorry for Mustafar…" Kenobi's voice choked before adding, "You truly were my brother, and I loved you. I thought you had completely turned Dark when you attacked Padme…"

"DON'T" Vader snarled, then calmed himself when his former master's face showed startled surprise, "Don't say that again. My entire family reminds me repeatedly that I nearly killed them all. I nearly did kill them all. For nineteen years I thought I had killed my wife and my child, and now I find that she lived, though she is not well, and my two children, my twins, are alive and healthy and vibrant and intelligent..."

Obi-wan's brow furrowed and he said, as if in surprise, "You care deeply for your family."

Vader snarled softly, then paced again for another minute before turning back to Kenobi, "Does that seem impossible, that I would be capable of…of caring for my own flesh and blood?"

(It occurred to him, after the fact, that his phrasing was ironic. He was short a great deal of his own flesh and blood, thanks to Kenobi.)

"Bluntly, yes," Obi-wan replied, "It's obvious that I was wrong about you, Vader. Your wife believed there was good in you, your son refused to participate in any attempts to kill you, and your actions today in saving Alderaan show that there is still good in you."

For a moment, the Dark Lord felt a surge of rage at this accusation, but then forced himself to take stock. Like it or not, Kenobi was right. There had been a dramatic shift in the Force towards the Light, felt across the galaxy (and certainly by his Master), and he was at the epicenter of it. Yes, his glorious twins were partially responsible, but he too was changing. He was not willing to give up the Dark Side, but the love and care and compassion he felt for his family was not suitable, reasonable, or normal for a Sith Lord totally devoted to the Dark Side.

He sighed softly, so that it wouldn't be picked up the vocoder, "The only reason I protected Alderaan was because of my daughter Leia, Kenobi."

"Then I am most grateful to Leia," Obi-wan responded with a slight smile.

Vader could only glower at him, through opaque eye plates.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

In Stormtrooper pod 163, the trooper designated 2984 excused himself from the late night sabacc game, pleading exhaustion.

He had spent the last two hours listening carefully to conversations; now he surreptitiously checked com logs and sources that were way above what should have been his security clearance.

The results blew his mind. But he didn't have to face down Darth Vader himself, just let the Emperor know what was happening.

Quickly, quietly, he put together a report and sent it by encoded frequency to Imperial Center.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author Note: Trooper 2984 was eavesdropping and checking com logs and sending reports to Palpatine at the same general time that the Lars and Organas landed on the Death Star and that Vader and Kenobi were talking._

 ** _Conference Room, Command Center, Death Star_**

Darth Vader stared out of a transparisteel window at the blackness of space, as the Death Star rotation was such that he could not see Alderaan. Behind him, Kenobi had seated himself again. He could sense several life forms approaching, one of whom was Bail Organa. He had never met Breha Organa, but could sense one of his companions was a female human, so likely it was the Queen of Alderaan. Farther away, but shining like stars, were his twins, also approaching.

The following conversation was potentially fraught with emotional landmines. He was aware that his own inner state was fragile. If he worked hard, he could be thankful that the Organas and Lars had cared for his children. He _was_ grateful. But at a deeper, almost primordial level, he was intensely angry. Angry that these two couples had enjoyed almost two decades with his children while he wandered in darkness and guilt and grief and loneliness. Angry that no one had told him of Padme's survival.

Again, if he worked hard, he could understand it and understand it well. He was a killing machine. He had attacked his wife. It was a logical conclusion that the twins would not be safe if he knew of their survival. Indeed, they would not have been safe. What would his Master have done with twin baby Skywalkers? And for the first five years after being placed in the suit, he had obeyed Palpatine like an automaton. He would have told Sidious about the twins and obeyed whatever orders his Master gave concerning them, no matter how villainous they were.

A noise at the door caused him to turn around. Bail and Breha Organa stood with an officer, who introduced them and then withdrew.

For a long moment, Vader stared at the Organas, and they stared back.

Viceroy Organa stepped forward, "Lord Vader, on behalf of Alderaan, I thank you for intervening to save our planet."

Queen Breha nodded.

Vader waited a cycle of his respirator, then responded, "I did it for my daughter Leia. It was, as Luke said, her homeworld and you are her adoptive parents. If it wasn't for Leia, I would have let Alderaan be blown into a trillion pieces."

Both the Organas flinched at those harsh words, but the Queen responded quickly, "We are grateful, then, that you intervened for Leia's sake. We fear that you are legitimately angry that we took her away from you, but it seemed…wisest at the time. And I assure you she was loved."

Vader paused for a long moment, tamping down his emotions, "I know you loved her. And…I am grateful for your care and protection of her since her birth."

There was a stir at the door as the twins came in. The older generation looked at them with slightly guilty airs, and both young people seemed aware of the heightened emotional state in the room.

Vader, indeed, felt his son's Force presence brush softly against him, obviously checking whether his sire was enraged. He sensed Luke relax when he realized Vader had his emotions under control.

Vader spoke up firmly, "There are obviously many personal issues that are of interest, but for now, we must discuss this battle station. I intervened to protect Alderaan and have temporarily sabotaged the superlaser so it cannot be used. However, the damage could be repaired quickly. By now, Palpatine must be aware that something has gone wrong, and within a short time he will no doubt know particulars. It would be advisable for the Death Star to be moved away from Alderaan, as I know you would not want a major battle in her skies and over her land. The Emperor will almost certainly amass a fleet in an attempt to retake her."

"The galaxy is a big place, Father," Luke replied, "Can the Death Star be hidden somewhere?"

Vader shook his head, "There are no doubt agents on board this ship who have already provided information about what has happened, Luke. There are so many personnel that I cannot monitor them all. And there are certainly homing beacons on board. She is such a vast station that we cannot find them all. We must assume that the Emperor will track the station down, sooner or later. Likely sooner."

"And he could probably find you through your Force bond," Kenobi pointed out.

There was a pause, and then Vader nodded reluctantly, "That is true."

Leia stared at her biological sire in a bewildered way, "I don't understand. I know Luke and I are bonded because we are twins. Are you saying that the Emperor is connected to you in a similar way?"

"I am connected to him, and he is connected to me, yes. It is a natural consequence of the relationship between Master and Apprentice."

"Can you break it?" Luke asked worriedly.

Vader turned to look out the window for a long moment, and then looked at Luke, "I am not willing to break it at this juncture."

Luke opened his mouth, obviously upset, but Vader didn't let him speak.

"To break the bond would require energy and time and focus. Also, the severing of the bond would weaken me at least temporarily. I cannot be weak now. You and your sister and mother need my protection and my leadership on this station, which is currently filled with men, many of whom would rebel against me if they knew the true situation. I brought over most of my loyal officers and troops from the _Devastator_ , but a coup is still possible. Admiral Motti and General Tagge are in custody, but if they are freed they will attempt to take back the station. Nor am I ready to relinquish the Dark Side. Dark will fight Dark, my children. I intend to kill the Emperor in time, and I will not do so in the weak Light."

There was a long pause while Kenobi and Luke seemed to struggle with words to say, and then Leia spoke up, "Ok, we'll leave it at that for now. The Death Star – what do you intend to do with her?"

Vader shook his head slowly, "I believe that she needs to be destroyed. But it is not clear how."

The elder Organas and Kenobi both looked startled.

"You don't intend to take charge of her as a weapon against the Emperor?" Bail asked.

"I don't have the reliable troops for it, Viceroy," Vader replied, "Palpatine will do everything possible to regain her and he will succeed unless she is destroyed first. Given that I am now in direct opposition to him, that is not an acceptable scenario."

"Can she be destroyed easily?" Luke asked practically, "Does she have a self-destruct sequence? Can a large bomb be inserted in some particular place?"

"If she has a self-destruct, only the Emperor knows the codes," Vader replied. Inwardly, he was pleased at Luke's practical focus on the issue at hand.

He continued, "The superstructure is designed such that the men and weapons are in the 'crust' of the space station. If there is access to the interior of the Death Star, I do not know of it. A bomb or explosive in the central core would do considerable damage, but I am not aware of access to that area."

The Organas and Kenobi looked at one another.

"We stole the Death Star plans in the hopes of finding a weakness," Leia said firmly, "If you still have R2D2 and the plans, we can study them in the hopes of finding a way to destroy the station."

Vader felt a wave of shock. R2D2?

He looked at Kenobi, who nodded and said, "Yes, it's the same droid."

(How many reminders of his past could possibly bombard him in one week?)

"Yes, we still have the droid," the Dark Lord responded after a moment, "Very well, we will depart this system and while in hyperspace, will study the plans. If all goes well, we will find a weakness which will allow us to destroy the station. It would be best to drop out of hyperspace as soon as we find this hypothetical weakness and destroy it before Palpatine can find us."

Most of the others nodded but Luke, with brow furrowed, said, "Wait a minute, how can we evacuate the station if we do so in the middle of deep space?"

Vader looked at his son, puzzled, "We have hyperspace vessels available, Son. The 501st will use their ships, and of course your mother, her medics, the Lars, and those in this room will be provided ships to leave."

"No!" Luke said, obviously exasperated, "What about the other men on this ship? There are, what, tens of thousands of people stationed here? You can't be thinking of just blowing them all up!"

There was a pause, as Kenobi and the elder Organas looked at one another.

"It's a war, Luke," Obi-wan said gently, "Sometimes difficult decisions must be made in the midst of war."

Luke turned suddenly and took a step towards Kenobi, his gaze skewering him, "Yes, you said something very similar to me 3 years ago, when you urged me to train with my father's former lightsaber so I could kill him with it."

Kenobi looked startled, then abashed.

Under his mask, Vader smiled. While Leia seemed the more volatile twin in terms of personality, Luke obviously was not cowed into submitting to his elders if he believed they were wrong.

Luke looked at the Organas accusingly, "Look, I'm from the Outer Rim. I know what it is like out there, and I'm guessing those of you in the Core Worlds are not familiar with Imperial recruiting efforts in such places. For all that Tatooine was largely Hutt controlled, there were plenty of Imperial recruiters who descended on places like Anchorhead and even Tosche Station, attempting to fill quotas. Tatooine was a dead end wasteland and many young men went into the Imperial trooper corps to escape. Some were even forcibly recruited. This station is filled with people like that, not to mention I'm sure there are plenty of political prisoners."

Bail Organa sighed, "But if we evacuate them, we may find ourselves fighting the same people in the not too distant future."

Leia spoke up, "Luke's right though, Father. This would be cold blooded murder of…how many people, Lord Vader?"

Vader spoke softly, "There are more than a million sentients on this station, Princess. And yes, many of them are prisoners, conscripts and undocumented workers."

The others looked shaken.

Luke continued persuasively, "Look, if the Death Star was about to fire on a planet and I could destroy it with the push of a button, of course I would. We all would. But that isn't the situation here. We have at least some time. We should try to save those we can."

There was a long pause, then Kenobi and the elder Organas nodded.

Breha spoke, "You are right, Luke. We will make evacuation plans in hyperspace, if you will allow it, Lord Vader."

The Sith Lord stared at her incredulously. For all his son's surprising eloquence, he hadn't expected the Organas to actually promote the evacuation of a battle station full of Imperials.

He groaned softly. He was aligned, however loosely, with a bunch of bleeding hearts.

"Yes, that would be acceptable," Vader said with a sigh.

Princess Leia spoke up, "I suggest we head for Krylon. It's an industrial world, partially Hutt controlled, but with a substantial Imperial sector where spice is being mined. There should be enough resources to temporarily sustain a massive influx of Imperials, but there is enough lawlessness that those who wish to leave Imperial service should be able to do so."

Vader stared at her in surprise, "You are very well informed about Krylon, Princess."

She turned to him, lifting her chin, her eyes full of defiance.

It clicked.

"The Rebel base is close to Krylon," Vader stated.

Before anyone else could respond, he continued, "I have no desire to know the exact location. I want you twins, and your mother, to leave this battle station as soon as we go to Krylon so that you are safe. It is convenient that the Rebel base is nearby."

Luke looked mulish and opened his mouth, then looked at Leia. Vader sensed a message surge between them through their twin bond, and Leia said diplomatically, "I am sure we will find time to discuss that in the next few days. For now, perhaps we should head for Krylon?"

Vader felt a prickle of annoyance. He was used to automatic responses of "Yes, my Lord." But these were his children, not his troops.

"Very well."

/-/-/-/-

 _Emperor's Throne Room, Imperial Center_

Darth Sidious prided himself on his self control. Even when he indulged in a frenzy of rage, it was a controlled frenzy of rage.

On this particular occasion, a small part of his brain acknowledged that there was nothing controlled about what he was doing. Since the reports from the Death Star had come to him while he sat on his throne, his Throne Room and associated personnel had taken the brunt of a major Force tantrum. Ten of the Red Guards lay dead, their limbs twisted, their heads bashed in. A few hapless courtiers were equally dead. The Throne Room itself looked like a Kaminoan tornado had hit it. He was, of course, safe. Even in a frenzy, he kept himself safe.

With a disgusted sigh, he cleared some of the debris out of the way and stalked (slowly) toward the elevator. The doors were stuck, but he ripped them off and threw them with the Force. He stepped into the elevator, trusting that it would hold him on his trip down to the antechamber which was the conduit for all those intending to ascend to his Throne Room.

It did hold him, though he could have used the Force to levitate if necessary.

When he stepped out of the elevator, he sensed the fear of the guards and officers. He never descended alone, considering it below his dignity to be unaccompanied by guards or sycophants. On this occasion, all those who could have fulfilled that service were expired, so he walked alone.

Palpatine's major domo stepped forward, only trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, your communication unit in the Throne Room seems to be malfunctioning, and thus we have new information from you."

He gestured to a pasty green captain, who said with a stutter, "Your R.r..royal Highness, we have confirmation that the Death Star is in hyperspace. We are plotting possible destinations now, but it is headed in the direction of Telos and Korriban."

The Emperor forced himself to rein in his anger. He had work to do.

"Very well, keep me informed. I will be in my private quarters."

Creakily, Palpatine walked the short distance to his private, very lavish, quarters.

The journey allowed time for some intense thought.

The news from embedded agents that Darth Vader, _Lord Darth Vader_ , had commandeered the Death Star had sent Sidious into his Force rage. The most thorough report from the battle station, from trooper 2984, indicated that Tarkin was dead at Vader's hand. Furthermore, most quadrants on the station were locked down and the other members of the Death Star command staff, including Tagge and Motti, were locked up. So far, Vader seemed to have staged a successful hijacking of the station which had cost more money than entire star systems had used in their entire spectral lives. It was not to be borne.

He had been wary of Tarkin. Uncertain about Tagge's loyalty. Motti, while a devotee of the Death Star, had more ambition than was appropriate for a man as dead to the Force as he.

But Vader? His servant? The man had been a powerhouse in the Force his entire life and could now literally move (small) mountains, but the Emperor had never imagined such a rapid and thorough rebellion.

Yes, of course, Vader was plotting against him. Junior Sith Lords always did against their masters. But always in a controlled way. A logical way. A _sensible_ way. This sudden treachery had been so unexpected that the Force itself seemed taken aback. Or at the very least, Palpatine had had no prescient warnings about it.

It was probably tied into that malicious Light that had been clouding his Force sense for the last week. What _was_ that?

With an internal sigh, he entered his quarters, gestured irritably for his personal servant to leave, and sank into his favorite plush chair. It was made from Greater Krayt Dragon leather, studded with Corusca gems.

He closed his eyes and contemplated. He had more than Force vision, he had intelligence. When had the first stirrings of rebellion begun in his hitherto extremely loyal servant?

He demeaned himself to actually tap into his computer terminal and contemplate times and places.

Tatooine. Yes, Vader's behavior had been odd since Tatooine, and the changes in the Force coincided with his visit to that misbegotten planet.

He pushed his com and ordered that his most trusted agent be sent to him immediately.

He must find out what had happened to Vader on Tatooine.

 _Author Note: A couple of reviewers said that Vader sounded like Captain Jack (?) in Pirates in the Caribbean. For the record, I've only seen the first of those movies, and that was but once, and I have no memory of that line of dialogue. I was originally going to have Vader say, "I am hijacking this space station" but decided that "commandeer" sounded more like Vader's traditional speech patterns._

 _Also, many thanks to my husband, who set aside this evening to review a couple of chapters (I also wrote an Epilogue to one of my former fanfics) instead of playing video games. Thanks, sweetheart!_


	14. Chapter 14

**_One day later_**

 ** _In hyperspace_**

 ** _Death Star, Darth Vader's private quarters_**

Vader pressed the start of the program and leaned back in his large chair. The Death Star plans had been loaded onto the Death Star main computer (rather an irony, that – he had never had access to the full plans before.) The program searching for weaknesses had begun. It would likely take several hours for the full routine to complete, and then he and his 'colleagues' would determine their next move.

His lips twisted. To think that he would be allied, however uneasily, with the Organas and Kenobi!

The key was, of course, his family. Padme and the twins had thus far kept these former enemies at least grudgingly courteous, as Bail and Breha adored Leia, and Kenobi was committed to the well being of both the Skywalker twins. And everyone cared deeply for Padme.

That reminded Vader that he needed to talk to the Lars. They had sacrificed much to keep his son safe and healthy under Tatooine's harsh suns, had welcomed in and cared for his wife, and Owen Lars was to be commended for limiting Luke's interactions with Kenobi and his tiresome Jedi beliefs.

And regarding Kenobi…

With a sigh, Vader turned on the com with the Force, "Commander, bring the Jedi Kenobi to my private quarters in ten minutes."

"Yes, my Lord."

Vader stood up. He had a few minutes. He really shouldn't do this, but…

Hesitantly, guiltily, he walked over to R2D2. He had been incredulous to discover that R2D2, the droid given to him by Padme, was the droid carrying the Death Star plans. He shouldn't consider their past together. R2 was a droid, and probably had been memory wiped. However…

He reached over to R2, who promptly squealed and started chattering at him in outraged binary. Vader withdrew his hand, a reluctant smile crossing his hidden features. The binary was not complimentary, and he had a vague memory of teaching R2 those very insults during one particularly difficult campaign during the Clone Wars. So maybe he hadn't been wiped? Maybe?

Ignoring R2's protests, Vader more assertively advanced and attached an information cable to one of the droid's input ports. He typed in a command code, miraculously preserved in his mind over the last 19 years.

R2's binary fussing stopped abruptly, followed by an incredulous series of beeps.

"Yes, R2," Vader said softly, "It is I."

R2's dome swiveled back and forth a few times, and then he moved forward a meter, his eye apparently analyzing Vader's form carefully. There were a few forlorn beeps, and then to the Sith Lord's astonishment, R2 bumped his leg gently.

As he had been accustomed to do twenty years ago.

Vader clenched his fists. He would not get emotional over a droid. He would not!

R2 seemed to consider for a minute, then moaned softly and swiveled his eye toward the viewscreen on Vader's com. The Dark Lord glanced at the image forming there, and gasped, causing his body to attempt a breath out of sync with his mechanized breathing.

R2 had _not_ been memory wiped.

Frozen on the screen was an image of Padme, her beautiful face framed by her beaded, white headdress. Beside her, Anakin Skywalker. His former self, dressed in padawan robes, still with his padawan braid.

Their wedding day.

One gloved, prosthetic, trembling hand reached out and touched the screen. His chair, the table, even the droid, rattled slightly.

Before he could give in too deeply to emotional upheaval, there was a chime at the door. Vader pulled his hand back and closed down the image.

With a regal wave of his hand, the door opened through the power of the Force. Kenobi stepped in, flanked by 2 guards and a captain. The old man stood calmly as Vader dismissed his men.

"Kenobi, how much training have my children had?" Vader demanded without preamble.

Kenobi looked at him thoughtfully, then moved next to R2D2, putting an aged hand on the droid's domed head.

"Leia has had almost no training at all, Anakin," he said after a moment, "Except that she was trained to shield her mind and Force presence at an early age. You have noticed that she is nearly hidden in the Force some of the time. She was born with her presence shielded, and has honed that ability with time. Bail and I were astonished when the med droid told us that Padme was carrying twins. We had no idea. I don't think Padme did either."

Vader decided to overlook his former master's annoying use of his former name.

"She did not know," Vader stated, "She thought the child was a boy, and I was certain the child was a girl. And we were both right."

The Dark Lord continued, "Has Leia's midichlorian count been determined?"

"Neither of the twins have been checked, no. We didn't want that number to possibly leak out, plus…" Obi-wan moved away now to the window, and stared out at the swirls of hyperspace passing by them, "Plus, I didn't want it to influence my views of the children. They are sentient beings, with value regardless of their Force sensitivity. I chose to live near Luke because unlike his sister, his Force presence was bright even at birth. His Force presence hid her in the womb, I believe. I thought to keep him safe, I should stay near him to help hide him. I used to think he was by far the stronger twin, but I am not certain now. Leia, while not having Force training, has remarkable hand to hand combat abilities and Bail said she is an incredible shot with a blaster. And she has impressive mental shields."

Vader contemplated this for a long moment. He knew so little about either of his children, but he felt he understood Luke more. They shared a passion for flying and there were hints of other areas of shared interest. Leia, on the other hand, seemed to have inherited Padme's interest and skill in politics.

"And the boy?" Vader continued.

Kenobi turned away from the window and sat down slowly. He suddenly looked old.

"I don't know what Luke told you," his former master said softly, "But I…deceived Luke about you. I told him that you, Darth Vader, had killed his father, Anakin Skywalker."

The Sith turned to face his old master.

"Yes," he rumbled menacingly, "He did tell me that."

Kenobi waved a vague hand, "Well, it's good you know. Decreases the chance that you'll cut me in half, and I think I can do some good here. Luke discovered the truth when Padme came to live with the Lars."

"Where was she before?" Vader demanded.

The old Jedi Knight hesitated briefly, then said, "She was on Alderaan. The Organas found her a highly regarded medical facility and managed to conceal her true identity by claiming she was actually one of Amidala's former handmaidens, a woman who looked a great deal like Padme. The actual handmaiden died during the violence surrounding the birth of the Empire, and it was her carefully disguised body which was carried through the streets of Naboo for Padme's funeral.

"For years, Padme was in a coma or near coma. Leia actually visited her occasionally and talked to her, read to her, that kind of thing, though Padme didn't verbally respond. Leia was not aware that Padme was her biological mother. The Organas merely told her that she was an old friend of the family, and that her presence on Alderaan was being kept low profile due to possible issues with the Empire. The medical staff did notice that after Leia visited, Padme would be more responsive, as if Leia's presence was helping her in some way."

Kenobi sighed, before continuing, "And then, incredibly, to everyone's delight and surprise, Padme started becoming more alert, even waking up. And speaking. The Organas were overjoyed, but Padme started talking about Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi, the twins. That was the point that we decided that she needed somewhere more remote to stay. The new CGA1629 protocol was on the horizon and we had high hopes it would help Padme, but further testing needed to be done. And we needed a safer place for her to stay, where her open comments about the Jedi wouldn't bring down the Empire on her head. The Lars very generously opened their home to her, and the Organas arranged for a top of the line med droid to be shipped to Tatooine to help care for Padme.

"Luke was told the truth about Padme, and welcomed his mother with open arms and a generous heart, to no one's surprise. He was delighted to have her, though of course she couldn't act like a mother. Beru was as much adopted mother as aunt. Owen…well, he did his best, but he and Luke have little in common. At any rate, Padme began talking more and Luke put the pieces together at least enough to know that something terrible had happened between his parents on Mustafar. He confronted me, having guessed the truth."

Kenobi smiled wryly, "I tried to deflect him, to no avail. He's like a mynock clamped onto a power cable when he is determined about something. I finally had to tell him what had really happened to you. At that point, he refused any additional lightsaber training, as he realized I had been fashioning him into a warrior who could, I hoped, kill you."

This was said directly, without apology.

Vader breathed in and out several times, then said in a measured tone, "So your vaunted Jedi code directed you to attempt to trick my son into trying to kill his own father."

Kenobi stared at his former padawan steadily, "Yes, I did. I intended to tell him the truth, when he was stronger, farther along in his training. I admit, however, that the events of the last weeks and months have shown me I was wrong. It would have been devastating to Luke to fight you. He has always longed for his father. It was wrong of me to desire that your son finish the job I failed to complete on Mustafar."

Darth Vader stepped forward menacingly. Kenobi stood up, though he was still dwarfed by the Dark Lord.

"Yes, Kenobi," the Sith Lord rumbled, "Why didn't you finish that particular job? Why did you leave me to burn to death, in agony, on the shores of that lava flow?"

Kenobi's façade of calm cracked, and a maelstrom of emotion suddenly burst forth, making Vader instinctively throw up mental shields. There was intense grief, and guilt, and self-loathing.

"I wish I had," Obi-wan said softly, "I loved you dearly. You were my brother. I couldn't strike the killing blow. And I sensed Padme was in crisis, and justified my actions by feeling the need to rush to her side. But it would have taken but a few seconds, and saved the galaxy much pain."

"So you want me dead," Vader said again, after a moment.

"I did. I don't now. You're changing, Anakin. Vader. Whoever you are. For your family's sake, you are changing. I have hope that your family, and the galaxy, can find healing."

Vader shook his head. Kenobi was being ridiculously optimistic. He was still a Sith Lord, still a Dark Sider, still a killer of children and a harbinger of doom to whole planets.

Who loved his family. Who had turned against his Sith Master to protect not to just his children, but their adopted families and his daughter's planet.

Maybe Kenobi's tiresome 'optimism' was justified.

/-/-/-/

 _Imperial Center_

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Throne Room #2_

Darth Sidious leaned back on his throne and closed his eyes. This secondary throne room was sufficiently opulent, though it was considerably smaller than his primary throne room, two floors up. But regrettably, his servants needed more time to repair that one after he had vented his rage at Vader's defection.

At least this room had been kept clean by his servants. They would have suffered dearly if they had neglected any of their duties, and they knew that.

He twisted just slightly. The back of the throne was slightly more upright than he preferred. He would speak to his major domo about that.

Palpatine had added this room to the original design of the palace because there were times, earlier in his reign, when a more intimate environment had been of use in certain diplomatic discussions. Self-absorbed minor planetary royalty, smuggling kingpins requiring judicious flattery, even his own sycophants had occasionally needed to feel that their Lord and Master truly cared about their needs and desires.

Those days were, thankfully, long past. He could now treat his subjects like the insignificant detritus they were, and they wouldn't dare protest.

He smiled, slightly. It was pleasant to consider how far he had come, from an insignificant member of Nabooian high society, to Senator of Naboo, to Chancellor of the Old Republic, and now Emperor, Lord and Master of all he surveyed.

The smile faded. Vader. Anakin Skywalker had required considerable wooing in his days as a Jedi, but once Vader had been placed in the suit, their relationship had been that of Master and Servant. Yes, Palpatine occasionally referred to him as 'friend', but they both knew the true nature of their relationship. Vader knew, _had_ known, his place.

A chime interrupted his increasingly irritable cogitations. He gestured for the door to open.

One of his best agents approached the throne and bowed meekly before him. Ah, this likely meant useful news.

"Speak," he ordered abruptly.

The agent rose to his feet, "Your Highness, we continue to analyze the situation on Tatooine, but we have obtained information of possible interest. The farm where Princess Leia Organa was discovered with Obi-wan Kenobi was owned by a pair of low income moisture farmers named Owen and Beru Lars. There were two other inhabitants of the farm, a middle aged woman and an older teen boy. The youth's name was Luke Skywalker. According to our records…"

"What?!" Palpatine demanded, his brain catching up with the stunning words coming from his agent's lips.

The agent paled, but his training held. He did not bolt in terror.

"Luke Skywalker, your Majesty, 19 years of age. There was a powerful Jedi Knight from Tatooine named Anakin Skywalker…"

"Do you have a visual of the youth?" Palpatine barked, interrupting the man.

Trembling slightly, the agent found a file on his holopad and handed it to his master, "It is three years old, my Master, from his last trip to a nearby medical facility after a landspeeder crash."

Palpatine stared at the holo with intensity. It was not a particular good image, but was clear enough that he could tell the boy was similar in feature to Anakin Skywalker. Now Darth Vader.

Darth Sidious sat back, completely ignoring the agent who was frozen in fear like a Tauntaun left out too long in a Hoth ice storm.

He had learned long ago not to jump to conclusions. This boy, based on name, location, and physical appearance, was apparently the previously believed deceased offspring of Anakin Skywalker.

This, then, was the obvious cause of Vader's sudden defection. His apprentice had… what? Descended to Tatooine, searching for his former master, and found his son instead?

It was possible, of course, that a third party was involved, that the young man known as Luke Skywalker was a charlatan, installed on Tatooine by someone else to draw Vader in.

Palpatine considered this possibility, then reluctantly discarded it as unlikely. He had thought - indeed, he had been certain, that Padme Naberrie Skywalker had died with her child unborn. But Vader had apparently met the young man in question, and he would not have been deceived by a pretender. The Force would be strong in the child of Anakin Skywalker. Vader must have sensed the Force power in the boy and concluded that the child was his son, thus beginning a chain of events that led to his murder of Tarkin and the theft of the Death Star. (Really, how could his battle station have been stolen! It was absurd!)

And he had been sensing a dramatic shift in the galactic tides of the Force, an unsettling and indeed disgusting slide toward the Light Side. It was more than Vader. It was Vader's son. Anakin Skywalker's son. Young, strong, whole.

Both a danger and an opportunity.

Palpatine leaned back, centered himself, calmed himself, and thought.

-/-/-/-/-

In Darth Vader's quarters, the computer beeped, indicating that the program had completed its analysis of the Death Star plans with a particular focus on possible weaknesses.

The Dark Lord sat down and rapidly moved through the report, before settling on a particular section.

Well, _that_ was certainly interesting…

 ** _Author Note: Thanks again for reading, reviewing, and following._**


	15. Chapter 15

_Death Star, Main living room in the suite occupied by Padme Amidala and the rest of her extended family_

Vader stepped quickly into the living area, and then stopped abruptly.

Padme was seated on a comfortable couch next to a middle aged woman. Vader stared at the woman with surprise. He knew this was Beru Lars, but he did not recognize her. They had met long ago, back when he was Anakin Skywalker, back when he had rushed in anguish to Tatooine, attempting to stop his prescient dreams of his mother's death from coming true.

He had been too late then. Shmi, tortured and abused, had died in his arms. He had given into the Dark Side fully that night, for the very first time. The Tusken camp had been laid waste under his blade, with every man, woman and child killed in the throes of his murderous grief.

Padme looked up at him, pulling him away from dark memories. She was working on a piece of cloth, carefully stitching an abstract design in green into it. Vader had distant memories of his own mother working on something similar, in their slave hut at the end of a long day of work. He remembered, with a twinge of melancholy nostalgia, that his mother's favorite color was green. The complex stitching was something that the women of Tatooine had passed on through the generations, a way to bring a spark of creativity into lives that were too often bowed down by weariness and overwork.

Beru must have taught Padme those skills. She was a woman of the desert.

At that moment, Beru Lars stood up, her face anxious. Padme stood up as well, looking surprised, and then she smiled her gentle and glorious smile.

"Good morning," she said, "I'm Padme Naberrie Skywalker. Who are you?"

He paused. She didn't remember him at all today.

"I'm Lord Vader, Padme. I just wanted to be sure that you and your family are comfortable."

Padme's countenance brightened even more, "Oh yes, thank you! Is this your ship?"

Vader nodded dumbly. How beautiful she was.

"We are very comfortable, thank you. I know Ani will be pleased when he sees us here. He's been gone for a long time. This terrible war has kept us apart. He doesn't even know about the twins. How happy he will be when he sees us all. I can't wait!"

Vader didn't know how to respond to this, and was thankful when Beru intervened gently, "Padme, do you need some more green thread? I see you have nearly finished that skein."

"Oh yes, thank you, Beru."

Without further ado, Padme disappeared into her bedroom.

Beru looked nervous and said, "She is more confused than usual today, Lord Vader."

"I know," he responded quickly, "I understand. Beru Lars, I thank you for raising my son and caring for my wife. I am permanently in your debt."

Beru's face relaxed, the wrinkles dissipating slightly. She suddenly looked 5 years younger. She hesitated, then plunged into speech, while inclining her head toward one of the bedrooms. Vader distantly sensed the presence of a sleeping male human.

"Please…be understanding of Owen. He is unhappy here, worried about us all and, I'm afraid, quite angry at you. Please don't harm him!"

Vader took two calming breaths and said steadily, "I give you my word I will not."

She nodded, satisfied.

Vader tilted his head slightly. The rest of his colleagues – cohorts – conspirators – whatever he wanted to call them, had gathered in the conference room down the corridor.

With a nod at Beru Lars, he left the room, making certain that the door was locked behind him. He wasn't especially concerned about Padme and the Lars trying to leave, but there were reasons to fear that someone might come and assassinate them. While the Death Star was back on regular duty rotations, he knew that there were embedded agents on board. He had allocated a few of his stormtroopers of the 501st to guard the Command Staff of the Death Star, Admiral Motti, General Tagge, and others, to prevent an agent from releasing them. He could kill them, but he might need a living eye for a retinal scan to open sealed files, so he would keep them alive for now.

The conference room opened before him, and Vader surged in. Kenobi was seated at the table with a gentle smile on his face, the Organas looked both amused and embarrassed, Leia was looking apologetic, Doctor Sert was hovering and…Luke was bleeding slightly from a large, raised knot on his forehead.

"What happened?" the Sith snapped. He hadn't sensed any distress from Luke, so this injury was unexpected.

"The lovely Princess Leia…" Luke began, and then yelped, "Ouch!" as the doctor placed a cold compress on his head.

"We were doing some hand to hand combat training and Luke failed to duck," Leia explained in a rush, looking penitent, "I kicked him hard in the head."

"Fortunately, I have a hard head," Luke finished, "Thank you, Doctor. I'm fine."

Doctor Sert sighed, and Vader sensed silent amusement.

His twins…

"Thank you, Doctor," he rumbled, "You may leave."

After the door had closed behind him, Vader spoke abruptly, "I believe I have found a weakness in the Death Star."

He immediately had the attention of the others in the room. Vader tapped a few commands into the com, and a section of the Death Star's technical readouts appeared on a large screen at one end of the conference room.

The Dark Lord continued, "There is a small thermal exhaust port in the station's meridian trench. Strangely, it leads directly into the station's main reactor. A precisely aligned shot with a proton torpedo should result in a direct hit to the station's main reactor, which will in turn start a chain reaction that will destroy the Death Star."

Luke peered at the readout, even while holding the cold pack against his injury, "That is a convenient flaw. How did that slip past the designers?"

Vader looked at his son, "I agree. It is extraordinary. However, it must be noted that in a combat situation, it would be a very difficult shot. The port is only 2 meters across. If a Rebel X-wing were attempting to fly down that trench, pursued by Imperial ships, it would be intensely challenging to successfully hit the target."

Bail Organa lifted an eyebrow, "It sounds more like an impossible shot. Two meters?"

Luke shook his head, "It's not impossible. I used to bulls-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home. They're not much bigger than two meters."

Vader smiled to himself. He suspected that his son had killed those particular pests at very high speeds, too. His son was _all_ Skywalker. Given the dubious expression on his daughter's face, she was apparently not enamored with such pursuits.

"The thermal exhaust port is ray shielded, so the shot will require a proton torpedo."

"Which TIES don't have, correct?" Luke asked.

"My TIE Advanced can be retrofitted to add a proton torpedo, though I admit that it will change the handling of the craft. After we reach Krylon, it would be best if you contacted the Rebellion and asked the Alliance to fly in some X-wings, which are equipped with proton torpedoes, as back up in case I am unable to make the shot."

He sensed wonder that he himself intended to destroy the Death Star, but surprisingly, no one commented on it.

Breha spoke up, "Can the ray shielding be deactivated?"

Vader paused. This question rankled slightly.

"The Emperor did not trust any one of his Command Staff sufficiently to allow them to deactivate the main defenses of the Death Star. So no, I cannot remove the ray shielding. It's possible that we could sabotage the control center of the ray shielding, given enough time studying the blueprints. On the other hand, a ray weapon would need to be far more powerful than that of a TIE fighter to penetrate to the core, so our time would be better served dealing with other concerns."

Vader now turned to Kenobi, "Jedi Kenobi, have you considered a reasonable way to evacuate the Death Star without causing a panic?"

Obi-wan nodded thoughtfully, "Once we reach Krylon, I believe we should send out a station wide alert stating that a toxic spore has been introduced into the Death Star by a saboteur, and thus the entire station needs to be cleansed. If the ship-wide announcement belabors the point that the Death Star will need to be evacuated in an orderly manner, I believe we can conceal that indeed, the entire sphere is being evacuated at once. The station is so large that the average trooper will not be aware of specific troop movements of other corps."

Luke looked puzzled, "All the same, won't at least some of the men on board have questions? The last few days have been odd – circling Alderaan, leaving Alderaan, and now Krylon. Furthermore, Tarkin has 'disappeared'. Won't there be suspicion among the officers and men? And questions?"

Vader was amused at his son's naivety, "My son, the Imperial Navy's training is predicated upon obedience to orders. I assure you that while there may be confusion and possibly some suspicion among the lower level officers and troopers, they will obey my orders and the orders of the higher ranking members of the 501st. They know that to question orders would be … most inadvisable. It will not even occur to most of them to think about the orders. They merely obey."

Kenobi chimed in, "The truth is, young Luke, that most people naturally obey the orders of those in authority over them. You are, of course, a Skywalker, and Skywalkers question everything. Furthermore, you have shown yourself all too ready to make decisions independent of the desires of your elders."

He said this with a smile, clearly showing he had bore no ill will towards Luke's decisions of the past regarding his father.

The princess smiled at her brother and dug a gentle elbow into his side, "Looks like I got the Naberrie genes there. _I_ don't have a problem with authority."

There was a choking sound from Breha Organa, and Bail let loose with a surprisingly loud laugh.

Leia looked indignant, "What? I don't!"

Breha smiled and reached her hand out to Bail, "Do you remember when she was…what was it, 5?"

"She was a couple days short of 5. It was right before the Empire Day festivities. You, my dear Leia, spent a full hour arguing with us, point by point, that you should be permitted to stay up until midnight to see the fireworks when you were not only a small child, but recovering from a mild bout of the Kozema virus. Your mother was in tears by the time she was done arguing with you, though she did prevail and pack you off to bed. Yes, my love, you most definitely have an independent streak a light year long and a parsec wide."

The princess looked briefly affronted, then grinned, "Ok, point taken."

Vader felt a strange ache in his heart. He had missed so much – arguments and laughter, meal times and bed times, Life Days and even Empire Days.

It suddenly occurred to him that his twins were born on or near Empire Day. He had hated every Empire Day since he had lost Padme. The next one, if he lived long enough, would be different. At the last Empire Day, he had been an angry, vengeful, and bitter widower. Now he was a father to two wonderful children and husband to a beautiful wife. Admittedly his relationships with his family members were almost impossibly complex but at least… at least he was no longer alone.

He pulled himself out of his reverie, aware that the conversation had moved on without him.

"How many prisoners are there in the cell blocks?" Bail asked, "Because we'll need to get those people off in a different manner."

Vader checked and said, "There are only 684 at the moment. All political prisoners. There is also a small group of 75 Wookies on board, the last remnants of a group of slaves who were involved in the construction of the Death Star."

The Organas looked disgusted, and Luke and Obi-wan both looked at Vader sharply, apparently picking up the emotional tremor in his heart at the mention of slavery. (He really had wanted to free the slaves, long ago, in his other life.)

Leia Organa spoke, "The co-pilot of the _Millenium Falcon_ , which brought my parents on board, is a Wookie. Perhaps we could discuss a safe place for the Wookies to be sent using available spacecraft. They would not fare well on Krylon."

Breha spoke up, "If I am permitted, perhaps I could make arrangements for the evacuation of the political prisoners, assuming there are enough hyperspace ready ships."

Vader nodded, "Very well, I will leave those details in your hands."

"Father," Luke interposed, "What happens if we get to Krylon and the local governor has orders from the Emperor to attack you? What if the Imperial Fleet is waiting for us there?"

"That would, indeed, be most inconvenient," Vader rumbled, "In the case of Krylon's governor having orders from Palpatine, I would lead a group of my own men down to the Krylon Imperial facility and take over. The men on board the Death Star can be sent to subjugate other areas of the planet as needed. Much of Krylon is under Hutt control, but the Hutts are not prepared to mount a successful defense against highly trained Imperial troops. I doubt it will come to that, though. Krylon is a relatively backwater world and both the governor and troops are of the lowest quality. I believe Palpatine would rather keep my defection quiet than entrust that news to Governor Kazmit of Krylon. Furthermore, our course is such that the Death Star is not obviously en route to Krylon. There are many other possible worlds where we could be going, and Palpatine doesn't have the Fleet power to fortify all the possible worlds."

There was a pause.

"What do you think the Emperor _will_ do?" Leia finally asked, quietly.

Everyone in the room waited uneasily, Obi-wan perhaps most of all. He knew more about Palpatine's power and skill and cunning than anyone else in the room save Vader.

Vader sighed softly and shook his head, "To be honest, I do not know. We will find out soon enough."

/-/-/-/-/

 _In orbit around Imperial Center, on board the Emperor's personal Star Destroyer, the_ Emperor's Dominion

Darth Sidious, more widely known as Emperor Sheev Palpatine, gazed irritably out of a transparisteel window towards Imperial Center.

For the fifth time today, he reminded himself that he was _not_ running away.

He was beating a strategic retreat.

He did not, frankly, know what his errant former servant was doing. The Dark Side of the Force still longed to bend to his will, but it was confused and muddled by the barrage of Light Side coming from, presumably, the young Skywalker and his now thoroughly confused sire.

Logically, though, it was vital that Palpatine not be trapped on Imperial Center with a fully operational Death Star on the loose.

At this point, the Emperor must be mobile. He was on his own Star Destroyer, surrounded by a fleet of 5 other Star Destroyers, supported by multiple squadrons of smaller ships.

If Vader tracked him down, he would be able to flee. At this moment, Vader had the upper hand in terms of operational fire power, but the _Emperor's Dominion_ and associated fleet were more maneuverable.

For the 5th time (this was apparently his number of the day), he brought up the current location of the Death Star on the com, according to the on-board homing beacons. What was Vader doing out _there_?

There were many planets in that sector, and the Death Star was not directly en route to any one of them. But no planet in that sector was an obvious destination in terms of providing weapons or new ships for Vader's fleet or…anything, really, that would be of assistance to Vader's coup.

Vader was not a man for subtlety. Palpatine had assumed that when the younger Sith Lord defected, he would attack Palpatine directly. But no, for reasons unknown the Death Star was traveling towards…somewhere…to do, something.

It was bewildering.

And Darth Sidious did not appreciate being bewildered.

He was putting plans into place, and he would recapture or kill Darth Vader, and take his son, and mold the boy to his will.

But in the meantime, he felt more uncertainty than he had in 20 years.

He despised uncertainty.

In a life consumed by hatred, Sidious decided that he had attained a new level of loathing for Lord Darth Vader.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Author Note: Luke and Vader talk. A lot!_**

 _Death Star in hyperspace, after a course correction_

 _Darth Vader's private hanger_

 _2 hours out from Krylon_

Darth Vader peered thoughtfully at the interior of the casing for the proton torpedoes now installed on his TIE-Advanced Fighter, and then glanced at the toolbox sitting, open, on the hanger bay floor. He would need…

At that moment, Luke held out his hand with the requisite instrument in it.

Vader was briefly surprised, and smiled underneath his mask. Luke seemed to sense the smile because he grinned back, and then resumed his intense focus on the task at hand. Vader made some final adjustments, closed up and tightened the bolts, and did a final survey of the TIE. The installation of proton torpedoes to his TIE Advanced changed the profile and mass of the ship slightly, which would alter the handling.

He was a brilliant pilot, perhaps the best the galaxy had ever known. But before he made that flight down the trench to destroy the Death Star, he would be sure to run the ship through some maneuvers in open space. In open space, handling mistakes were learning opportunities. In that narrow trench, a handling error could spell doom.

Luke jumped casually down from the top of the TIE, where he had been observing his father's retrofit of the ship. He trailed a longing and careful hand against her bright surface.

"She's a beautiful ship, Father," he said respectfully.

Vader looked at her as well. Beautiful? Yes, she was. Clean lines, high power, the best quality shielding, excellent ray weaponry, and now she was equipped with photon torpedoes.

He was struck, though, by the affection in his son's voice. Long ago, twenty years ago, he had … enjoyed…his ships. They were more than just tools, more than just trophies back then. He had loved his time in space, loved the swirl of hyperspace and the intense maneuvers of space battle. He remembered the thrill when he flew through terrestrial canyons, the sense of being pushed to his limit while dodging around asteroids.

When had he lost that exhilarating love of flying? That reverence and admiration for the machines that made him the man he was?

He shook his head slightly and looked at his son, who was still gazing raptly at the TIE.

"Luke, I have a question, but you are not required to answer it."

Luke stiffened but looked up to gaze directly into his sire's eyes, "Go ahead."

"How well do you know your sister? I know you were separated for many years. Had you met before she acquired the Death Star plans and went to Tatooine?"

Apparently this question was not particularly threatening, because Luke relaxed.

He looked through the force field into space, then looked back at his father.

"A few months after I found out what really happened to you from Obi-wan, Mother had a nightmare, or dream, whatever you want to call it. Over and over she kept saying, 'Anakin? Where is Anakin? Obi-wan, where is Anakin? Are my babies all right? Where are they? Luke! Leia!"

His son shook his head and said, "I don't pretend to be a genius, but that wasn't too hard to interpret. I had a twin sister. The med droid that came with mother had markings indicating that it was from a facility on Alderaan. I did some surreptitious poking around on the Holonet at Tosche Station and discovered that Bail Organa, whom Mother had mentioned a couple of times, had a daughter my age named Leia. Leia is not an especially unusual name, but I managed to find a picture of her from some society Holonet page and she was the very image of mother. I knew then. I _knew_. But I asked my aunt and uncle and they didn't know anything about it. Obi-wan had not told them that I had a twin. So the first chance I got, I jumped on my landspeeder and headed out to his home in the Jundland Wastes."

Luke shook his head self-deprecatingly, "To his credit, he didn't bar the doors and hide. I'm sure he was tired of me showing up in a righteous and incensed mood, but he admitted that yes, I had a twin sister and yes, she was Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan."

Again, a pause, and then his son continued, "I respected Obi-wan Kenobi, and my aunt and uncle. But I was old enough to take responsibility for this new discovery. I had a twin sister. Ben told me she didn't know about me, though the Organas knew both who and where I was. I insisted that either I go to Alderaan, or Leia come to Tatooine to visit me. My aunt and uncle, when I told them about Leia, agreed. I do remember Aunt Beru…"

Luke trailed off and he half smiled, "…she was so nervous about welcoming a Princess into our home, even if she was my sister. Tatooine is so primitive. But Aunt Beru is a generous, kind hearted woman and she said she would do her best to make Leia comfortable. I pushed Ben hard. I told him if he didn't arrange for me to meet my sister, I'd take passage on a freighter in Mos Eisley and get to Alderaan and try to sneak into the palace. Of course, that was forcing his hand as that was way more likely to attract unwanted Imperial attention."

Luke looked at his father intently now, "I felt I owed it to Leia. I knew she was political active and that she might meet you at some point under antagonistic circumstances. I knew you were her biological father. She didn't. _You_ didn't. It just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. Ben wanted to just trust in the will of the Force but I could not be at peace with, well, what almost did happen. Here in the cell blocks."

Vader appreciated Luke's circumspect referral to the interrogation droid. He had come so close to torturing his own daughter…

"I appreciate that, my son. I believe, of course, that you were right though I wish you had also insisted on contacting me. I understand why you felt you could not, however."

Luke nodded, and blinked away tears, "I really wanted to, Father. I really did. I wanted to meet you my whole life. But … I was afraid for Mother and the Lars, for Leia and the Organas. And for me. I just didn't dare."

Vader nodded and waited, allowing Luke to regain his composure.

"So yeah," his son continued after a moment, "Ben arranged for Leia to come visit us on Tatooine. Of course, her father Bail had to tell her the truth about me…and you… and she lit into him pretty thoroughly. She's the one with the flaming temperament, not me!

"Leia came twice to the farm, once when we were 16, once when we were 18. She got to experience the joys of fixing moisture evaporators, and I got to hear about a planet with lakes. We did some hand to hand combat and she taught me some of her shielding techniques. She relished her time with Mother. When she went back home or to Imperial Center for her Senate duties, we sent encoded messages to one another to keep in touch. Then, of course, a couple of weeks ago she received the Death Star plans and ran to us for help. We've spent about 5 weeks physically in the same place at this point. But the moment we met, we both felt like an absent piece, an ache in our lives, had finally been filled by the other. We had that Force bond as babies that was torn apart by our separation, and we were both dimly aware that something vital was missing."

Vader nodded again. He felt a familiar melancholy as the thought insinuated itself into his mind " _This is all your fault_."

It _was_ all his fault. He had attacked Padme and injured her. Their twins had been saved, but separated from one another out of fear. Yes, part of it was sheer Jedi obtuseness and devilry but rationally, both Bail Organa and Obi-wan Kenobi had every reason to fear that Vader would not deal kindly with his wife and children, considering he had nearly killed them all.

He sighed softly and said, "Thank you, Luke. I value everything you tell me about your lives before we met."

Luke smiled a little and then suddenly stared at him intently, with a hint of trepidation in his Force sense, "Father, I've been thinking a lot the last few days and I feel it is right to tell you this. Once we make contact with the Rebellion, I plan to volunteer to serve the Alliance as a pilot."

Vader froze in horror, "Luke, no. I absolutely forbid it. That would be suicidal. You have no idea how dangerous space battles are, and the Alliance is far outmanned by the Empire…"

Luke actually chuckled, interrupting his tirade.

"So," his son said affectionately, "Your first concern is my safety? Not that I'm planning to join the organization in direct opposition to the Empire?"

Vader blinked, then attempted to rally by shifting to his most dangerous tone.

"I was also going to say, before you so unwisely interrupted me, that the Rebellion is a group of anarchists, devoted to causing conflict and destruction across the galaxy. As I said before, I absolutely forbid it."

Luke looked at him sadly, "Father, my sister is a Rebel, as are her adopted parents and Obi-wan. I am better informed than you seem to be aware. I know what the Empire has done, the species enslaved and destroyed, some of them at your personal hand. I've been on the sidelines of this conflict my entire life. I am not going to stand by now when I can, perhaps, help a little."

"Luke, I agree that Palpatine must go. But your sister, the Organas – they may have the best of intentions…"

Vader gritted his teeth at that statement, but continued determinedly, "But the reality is that most people need to be made to do what is right. Democracy doesn't work. The masses are too foolish, too divided, too focused on their own personal wishes and not enough on the needs of the entire galaxy. A wise individual, or group of individuals, must decide what is best for all and implement policies to allow the most people to live the best lives. Sometimes, regrettably, sacrifices must be made by some to increase the quality of life for most."

"Like the Wookies on Kashyyyk?" Luke inquired challengingly.

Vader paused. Slavery was a difficult topic for him. And he knew that the Wookies had been enslaved not because they were a threat to the Empire, but because they were a conveniently strong and robust work force.

"The Wookie situation is, I agree, regrettable…" he began, only to be stopped when Luke laid an affectionate hand on his arm.

"Father, I'll leave the political arguments to you and Leia, or perhaps Mother when she is coherent enough. The reality is that the only way a total dictatorship will work is if the dictator is completely unselfish, completely giving, completely self sacrificing, and completely wise. There are no sentient beings in this galaxy with those qualifications. I've talked enough with Leia to understand some of the challenges of democracy, including what you just said. But it is better than what we have now. Nothing you can say will sway me from that view."

A host of arguments came through the Dark Lord's mind, along with a host of threats. But finally, he tried for the argument that might appeal to his stubborn son.

"Luke, your mother needs you. What would she do if you were injured or died?"

Luke shook his head sadly, "Many mothers have lost sons, Father. I can't just stand by anymore. The reality is…well, I think that if you can't make that shot on the Death Star for some reason, I might be the only person who can. It is a very small port, but with the aid of the Force I know I can hit it. You can too, of course, but it is possible you might be prevented somehow. Especially given that you had to retrofit your TIE. The X-wing is set up with proton torpedoes. If the Rebellion allows it, I will man one of their X-wings to aid you in the event that you can't destroy it yourself."

Luke continued, as if anticipating his next statement, "You could, of course, lock me up. I wouldn't appreciate that."

Vader sighed wearily. He wasn't used to bending to the will of others, but he could tell he wasn't going to win this one. Besides, it shouldn't be an issue. The plan was that he and the 501st would evacuate the Death Star while the rest of his family and Kenobi traveled to the "unknown" Rebel base, though he suspected it was near Yavin. If the Alliance could be convinced of his intent (not a definite thing), then presumably a squadron of X-wings would come back to assist in destroying the Death Star, if required. It should not be necessary. He intended to destroy the battle station himself, board the _Devastator_ and flee to a safe port before Palpatine's Imperial Fleet could arrive. If Luke was in an X-wing, he could probably tractor beam him aboard the _Devastator_ if necessary. Padme, Leia, Kenobi, the Lars, and the elder Organas would, presumably, be with the Rebel Fleet, also in a safe place. It was a tentative plan with room for adjustment, but it should be safe enough.

"Very well, Luke. But be careful. I agree that a Force user has the best chance of destroying the Death Star, and I anticipate doing it myself."

He paused again, and slowly reached for one of the lightsabers at his belt, "I would also like you to take my old lightsaber back, my son."

Luke looked startled, lifted a hand, then dropped it, "I'm not sure I should, Father."

"I think" his father responded irritably, "We've moved past the 'you are going to try to kill me' phase. Take it. You are strong in the Force. In time, you will build your own saber but for now, take it and defend yourself if necessary, and your mother, and your sister."

Luke hesitantly reached out and took the blade, then stepped back a few meters, turned it on, and began carving blue patterns in the hanger air.

"Thank you, Father," he said gravely. He focused, then began moving through early lightsaber drills.

Vader watched his son with increasing interest. While Luke had not touched a lightsaber in more than 3 years, the muscular memories were clearly intact. Furthermore, after a few minutes of warm up, Luke started adding personalized movements into the drills. Vader sensed his son sinking deeply into the Light Side, similarly to how his son had responded during the TIE simulation.

A pair of doors opened and his daughter Leia stepped into the otherwise deserted hanger. Behind her, Vader saw a group of her personal bodyguards stop when they noted his tall, menacing form. They knew she would be safe with him in the hanger bay.

The Princess walked forward to Vader's side, and watched quietly as Luke continued to move through his exercises, his movements an aggressive but elegant dance.

He finally stopped in front of his father (and now sister), turned off the lightsaber, and hung it carefully on his belt.

"Thank you, Father," he said again.

He looked at Leia.

"And thank you for coming, twin," Luke said to her matter-of-factly, then turned to his father.

"We had something we wanted to talk to you about," he said.

Vader felt an unaccustomed feeling of unease. Talking to his children was always interesting, but often distressing.

"Yes?" he invited carefully.

Luke took a deep breath, "I've been wondering whether you'd be willing to openly acknowledge our relationship, yours and mine I mean. Claim me as your son, so to speak."

Vader's non-existent eyebrows reached for the hanger ceiling.

His first thought was incredulity. His second was delight, a joy so strong that even his daughter sensed it, as she smiled slightly at him. Luke was openly grinning.

"I guess that means yes?" his son asked affectionately.

Vader hesitated, then said regretfully, "Much as it would please me to openly acknowledge you, it wouldn't be safe, Luke. If the Emperor found out about you, he would set his best agents to hunt you down."

"Well, that's what we were talking about, Lord Vader," Leia explained, "Luke and I think it is too late to conceal him. You've been acting in an unusual manner since Tatooine. How hard will it be for agents to track down that the Lars' farm was inhabited by a 19 year old named Luke Skywalker? I know that Palpatine is a brilliant man. He is going to figure it out, probably already has. Luke thinks, and I agree, that if we put his name forward, Palpatine may not investigate anything else too deeply."

Luke continued, "Obi-wan and Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen did their best to keep Mother's name and even face concealed. People didn't visit one another much on Tatooine, and the story we told was that a distant relative of Beru's was living with us, recovering from an overdose of spice."

Vader felt a surge of irritation at this, which Luke apparently sensed.

"I know, Father, it bothered me too, but they were just trying to keep her safe. We don't want Palpatine finding out that Mother is still alive, and you've kept her quite concealed since you found her, except for the medic, the doctor, and our guards, all of whom seem trustworthy. More than that, I hope we can conceal Leia. It shouldn't even occur to the Emperor that I have a twin, which is vitally important."

Leia frowned, "When you put it like that, it's like you are hanging out there as bait to keep Palpatine's eye off of Mother and me. I don't like that much."

"I'm already out there, Leia. It's just a question of deflecting him as much as possible. Besides, won't the Alliance be more ready to trust Father if they know I am his son? So long as Obi-wan and you vouch for me, I mean."

Vader considered this thoughtfully. His children obviously were capable of thinking strategically, which pleased him.

Finally he nodded, "I agree, Luke."


	17. Chapter 17

_60 minutes later, Hanger #6, Death Star_

 _30 minutes from Krylon_

Darth Vader stared in stunned disbelief at the _Millennium Falcon_.

This was the ship in which his daughter and Kenobi had fled from Tatooine to Alderaan?

This was the ship the elder Organas had bravely (or recklessly) boarded when they left Alderaan for the Death Star?

This rickety piece of junk looked like it was barely spaceworthy, much less hyperspace worthy!

He berated himself for his carelessness. He had been extremely busy the last several days planning the evacuation of the Death Star, guarding and interacting with his family, taming his temper sufficiently to allow Kenobi to live, keeping a close Force tendril on possible trouble spots on the station, and working through emotional upheaval.

He still should have checked out the _Falcon_ earlier. Did his children really expect him to let them leave on this crate? To let Padme leave on it?

A tall rangy Corellian strode down the ramp, yelling instructions over his shoulder to, based on the accompanying roaring, his co-pilot the Wookie.

Ah, Captain Solo. A former Imperial who had been tossed out of the Academy. A smuggler and a scoundrel. What was Kenobi thinking to entrust his precious wife and children to this man?

And yet…he had found time to check the man's file. He had been discharged from the Academy for helping the Wookie escape slavery. So there was more to the man than mere selfishness. He wondered why the man had stayed on Alderaan at all, though perhaps he had feared being hunted down after the _Falcon_ 's frantic escape from Tatooine, with fighters and Star Destroyers in pursuit.

Captain Solo noticed him, and as was common, froze in surprise and fear. But unlike most men, the pirate recovered quickly and strode forward.

"Lord Vader?" he asked courteously but not obsequiously, "Did you need something from me?"

"I need assurance from you that this spacecraft is safe, Captain," Vader responded promptly, "There are several people who plan to travel with you who are important to me."

Solo looked vaguely insulted, "I assure you, Lord Vader, she may not look like much but she's the fastest light freighter around. She's got good shields, she's maneuverable, and she can go 0.5 past lightspeed. She's also got excellent life support systems, including automatic sealing if there is a decompression in one of the bays."

Vader stretched out his senses. The man was Force blind and, as far as he could tell, completely honest in his assessment of his (obviously beloved) ship. Arrogant, too, but apparently capable.

Very well. It would be best if his family left the Death Star in a non-Imperial ship, as that would make interactions with any Rebels they encountered far safer.

There was a rustle as his family arrived. Padme looked quite cheerful and smiled at him. Owen and Beru Lars were right behind her, followed by the twins, the elder Organas and Obi-wan Kenobi, and then Dr. Sert, and Medic Fentesto. The medical personnel would be accompanying Padme to the Rebel base, and had been provided with several doses of CGA1629 so that she could continue her treatments on schedule.

Only thirty minutes earlier, he had spoken briefly to both Sert and Fentesto and disclosed his relationship to Padme and Luke. They had both been stunned, but had managed to mask their shock by assuming a more wooden expression than usual. Underneath their fear and Imperial protocol, he detected real attachment to Padme and her medical well-being, plus a feeling of responsibility for her as the wife of their Lord. Furthermore, he knew both men didn't fit well into the Imperial medical corps as they were too compassionate. The situation was complex, but he felt they could be trusted to care for Padme as they effectively shifted to the Alliance side of the war in act, if not formally.

Following the entire group was R2D2, accompanied by a gold plated protocol droid who looked at him and began chattering, "Oh, Lord Vader! My, my, this is an awkward situation. Princess Leia, I don't believe I understand what is going on, and it is difficult to know the correct protocol when I am kept uninformed. I must request that…"

"C-3P0, everything is fine," Princess Leia said firmly, finally cutting the droid off mid-sentence.

Vader looked at the droid incredulously. C-3P0? As in, the droid he had made for his mother back when he was a boy?

He took a step forward, which made the droid shuffle back in alarm.

Captain Solo spoke up, "Princess, if you are bringing that droid on board my ship I want him turned off. That annoying voice and personality would make a vanx chew off its own leg in frustration."

"Well, really, Captain Solo, I don't know why you are displaying such an attitude," C-3PO said prissily.

Yes, definitely the same droid. First R2D2, now C3PO? It made sense, since the two droids had last been seen with Padme. But still, it was another startling reminder from his past.

Breha Organa interceded with a slight smile, "Threepio, why don't you board the ship and shut down for a self-diagnostic? We may need your services when we arrive at the Rebel base."

"It would be my pleasure, your Highness. Artoo, you come as well. You've been entirely too busy lately and could use some down time to recharge."

The Lars followed the droids onto the ship, and they heard Beru greeting someone, no doubt the Wookie, with affection in her voice.

Bail Organa turned to Vader and bowed slightly, "I believe we are prepared for the arrival of the Death Star at Krylon. Captain Solo has agreed to take off as soon as we arrive, so our trip to the Rebel base will be as fast as possible. We'll send back at least a squadron of X-wings to assist in the event that you are unable to destroy the Death Star with the TIE Advanced. The Wookies and political prisoners will be leaving on hyperspace ready ships to various safe worlds. Will you require anything additional from us?"

"I believe that is all that is necessary for now, Viceroy," Vader responded, "I have provided you with secure codes so we can contact one another once the Death Star is destroyed. The galactic situation will be volatile and the future cannot be entirely foreseen, but I intend to kill the Emperor and will inform you if you can assist in that endeavor."

He nodded courteously to both Organas, who turned away, with Leia behind them. Just as they reached the bottom of the ramp to the _Falcon_ , Vader spoke again, to his own surprise.

"Queen Breha, Viceroy Organa."

They turned and looked at him, their eyebrows raised slightly.

He paused, then said carefully, "Take excellent care of your daughter. She is young and should be protected."

Leia scowled rather hideously for one so lovely, but Bail put an affectionate arm around her and said, "Indeed we will, Lord Vader."

The three Organas climbed on the ship.

Obi-wan Kenobi stepped forward. Vader absently noted again the height difference. Kenobi had shrunk at least a little during his time on Tatooine, and Vader was significantly taller than in his previous life as Anakin Skywalker.

The two gazed at one another solemnly for a moment, and then Vader held out Kenobi's lightsaber.

"Take good care of them," he ordered in his most menacing tone.

Kenobi didn't seem menaced, and indeed had the gall to smile at him a little as he took the saber from his outstretched hand.

"Until we meet again, Lord Vader," he said courteously, and also climbed onto the _Falcon_.

Vader turned to face Padme, struggling with his own emotions. He really didn't want to let her out of his direct oversight, and he had considered having her taken to the _Devastator_ , which was due to arrive at Krylon within minutes of the Death Star. But the Force was telling him no, that she would be safer and better cared for with the Alliance, among friends and her children.

He stepped forward and looked down at her petite form.

"Good-bye, Padme," he said as gently as he could through the vocoder.

"Good-bye Anakin," she said sadly, and stretched out a loving hand, "You will be careful, won't you? I always worry when you have a mission. I'm afraid, so afraid, you won't come back."

There was a frozen silence from those around them, and he was struck dumb again. How could his brain damaged wife so unerringly throw him off balance?

"I will be careful, Padme, I promise," he said and very gently squeezed her hand.

He looked at the medical staff, "Take very good care of my wife."

He felt the jolt of shock from Han Solo, who was the only one in earshot who didn't know the truth.

"We will, my Lord," Doctor Sert said.

"We will give our lives for her if needed," Medic Fentesto said determinedly.

Lastly, he turned to Luke, "Be careful, my son."

(Another jolt of incredulity from Solo.)

"I will, Father," Luke responded with a smile, "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, my son."

He stepped back and watched as the rest of the group boarded the ship.

/-/-/-/-

Emperor Palpatine carefully placed a bite of freshly roasted nyork into his mouth. It was considered a rather plebian food on Naboo, but he had been gone long enough from his native homeworld that he quite appreciated it now, when cooked properly with blue milk cream sauce. And his food was always cooked properly. Just one of the advantages of being Emperor.

With a casual flip of a switch, he turned on a viewscreen and stared again at the position of the Death Star on the galactic map. It was indeed nearly to Krylon, and at this point it seemed certain Vader intended to stop there at least briefly.

He frowned and shook his head slightly. Krylon was a backwater planet. Industrial, yes, but not heavy industry, not the place for Vader to set up factories to build weapons or star fighters. Furthermore, a large portion of the planet was under Hutt control. What was the man doing?

It was possible Vader would only stop there briefly to…collect troops, or supplies of some kind? But according to his best agents, the Death Star was well supplied with everything that could be obtained easily at Krylon.

He placed one last nyork in his mouth and leaned back, concentrating.

It took only a few minutes for the Force to answer.

He flipped on the com, and began giving orders.

/-/-/

The Death Star came out of hyperspace and smoothly moved into rotation around Krylon.

Darth Vader stood in the command center and watched intently as the _Millennium Falcon_ lifted out of Hanger Bay #6. Around him, the officers of the 501st were busily preparing for the extremely complex evacuation of the Death Star to various locations on Krylon. Few of his officers had an inkling of what he intended to do afterwards, with most of them no doubt assuming that Vader was evacuating the Death Star personnel because he couldn't trust them to obey him over the Emperor.

The Dark Lord heard one of his officers make an all station call describing the (supposed) toxic spore that had infiltrated the station, and the need for an orderly evacuation of the Death Star so that station's compartments could be safely decontaminated. The (fake) spore in question was designated KSX 1323, and was described as a biological weapon with tremendous growth potential at temperatures suitable for humans. The station would (hypothetically) be cooled to 80 degrees above absolute zero to kill the spore.

It was, Vader admitted, quite a decent story from Kenobi. He always had been quite the tactician.

The _Falcon_ leaped into hyperspace. Vader's spirit cringed in anguish as the Force presence of his family faded, but his mind was at peace. Yes, it was safer this way. He just wanted them all to be safe.

A part of his brain realized that his twins, anyway, would not stay out of harm's way for long. But he hoped that Kenobi, the Lars, and the elder Organas would have a restraining influence on Luke and Leia. As for Padme, to know her was to care for her. Except for Palpatine. He hated her. And the miscellaneous bounty hunters and assassins who had tried to kill her 20 years ago. Best not to think about all that. It made him anxious. No one wanted to be around an anxious Sith Lord.

He gestured to one of his commanders, "Make contact with Governor Kazmit of Krylon and inform him that I need to talk to him _immediately_."

/-/-/-/

 _Millennium Falcon_ 's main lounge

"Let me get this straight, Kid," Han Solo said incredulously, "Darth Vader is your old man?"

Luke was practicing with his lightsaber, with Kenobi directing three seekers to attack him with bolts which administered quite a sting when they broke through his defenses. The elder Organas were sitting behind the dejarik board, conferring in low tones about something diplomatic, no doubt.

Everyone else had retired to their quarters. Padme was her own room with Leia in attendance, and the medical personnel seemed slightly uncomfortable and were in another small room, probably going over medical protocols.

Talking to Solo was splitting his concentration, but Luke didn't mind too much. It was good practice for a real fight, when his opponent might be spouting something annoying to him.

A seeker bolt flashed out and Luke blocked it fluidly, "Yes, that's right."

"Darth Vader has a kid. And a wife," Solo continued in obvious disbelief.  
Luke spun around and managed to knock a bolt from one seeker into another seeker, causing it to fall to the ground. One down.

"Yeah, it is kind of amazing," he agreed, knocking another seeker down.

One to go.

"And who is 'Anakin'?" Solo continued.

There was a howl from Chewbacca the Wookie and Solo looked at his co-pilot incredulously.

"Anakin Skywalker. As in, the 'Hero with No Fear' Anakin Skywalker? "

Chewbacca muttered again as Luke succeeded in dispatching the last seeker. He shut down his lightsaber and returned it to his belt.

"That was good, Luke, but be careful not to focus so much on the obvious attackers that you miss something or someone which might be approaching you from behind," Kenobi instructed.

Luke nodded and walked over to get a bottle of water. He was definitely out of practice.

Solo was still looking shell shocked.

Luke sat down and explained, "So yeah, I don't know about this 'Hero with No Fear' thing, but Darth Vader used to be Anakin Skywalker, back before I was born. Mother had a very hard time giving birth to me, and she experienced brain damage and was in a coma. Kenobi here fought with my father and almost killed him, and then basically kidnapped me. Vader didn't know that Mother and I had survived until a few weeks ago, when he found us both on Tatooine."

He took a slug of water.

Solo shook his head in disbelief, "That is some story, Kid. And you, Kenobi, do you mean to say you are _the_ Obi-wan Kenobi? The former partner of Anakin Skywalker? What happened to the man? He has a totally grim reputation. In fact…"

The captain glanced at his Wookie copilot, who bellowed mournfully.

"Chewie has told me that Vader himself was involved in one of the more brutal massacres on Kashyyyk."

Obi-wan nodded solemnly, "I am sorry, Chewbacca. Yes, Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, has inflicted tremendous damage on the galaxy, murdered literally thousands by his own hand and ordered the killing and torture of many more."

Luke flinched openly. The last couple of weeks had been, in their own way, a dream come true. His father had welcomed him with such joy, such delight, and had treated him so well that he sometimes forgot (or refused to think about) the many horrific deeds perpetrated by the man.

Ben looked at him sympathetically and continued, "But the truth is that the discovery of his wife and son has changed Vader significantly for the better. He is coming back to the Light, albeit with a difficult path ahead of him. I don't know what the future holds, but Vader's response to his family's discovery has been far more positive than I expected."

Solo lifted an eyebrow, "It's incredible you are still in one piece, old man. He must be changing if he didn't kill you for stealing his child."

Luke looked at Ben thoughtfully. What he knew about Mustafar led him to believe that Vader had far more than kidnapped children to hold against Obi-wan Kenobi. He knew his father was on life support because of the battle between former master and former apprentice, 19 years ago.

Luke felt a surge of hope. If Vader was able to overlook that, plus the concealment of Padme, and the hiding of his own twins, then yes, it must be true that his father was changing for the better. It _was_ true.

 ** _Author Note:_**

 ** _When referring to both of Luke's adopted parents, I should probably say "Larses" instead of "Lars," but "Larses" sounds so bad to me, I took creative license to save my ears._**

 ** _Thanks as usual to my wonderful husband K. for editing this fanfiction. And thank you to all those of you reviewing and following._**


	18. Chapter 18

_4 hours later_

 _4_ _th_ _Moon of Yavin_

The Millennium Falcon exited hyperspace and, after a tense but short discussion with Alliance sentry ships, landed near the ancient Massassi Temple where the Rebels had set up their base.

They were greeted by a startled but overjoyed welcoming committee. General Dodonna, General Rieekan, an aide named Castilon, and a group of Alliance soldiers were waiting anxiously as all three Organas, followed by Obi-wan Kenobi, exited the _Falcon_. There was a murmur of excited talk, and then General Dodonna stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Highnesses, we are overjoyed to see you safe and free. We feared the worst when we heard that the Death Star was orbiting Alderaan and that Princess Leia and Obi-wan Kenobi had surrendered to the Empire."

"A great deal of vital importance has happened since then," Bail Organa responded, "But first we need to know if you received the copies of the Death Star plans."

"Yes, we did," Dodonna replied, "And we have analyzed the plans and uncovered a weakness which should allow it to be destroyed."

"The thermal exhaust port on the meridian trench?" Princess Leia demanded.

The Yavin Rebels looked stunned.

"How do you know about that?" Dodonna demanded in disbelief.

Breha Organa now stepped forward, "As my husband stated, there is much that needs to be, and will be discussed. But the most vital point is this. The Death Star is currently orbiting Krylon, only 5 hours away by hyperspace. We have a chance _now_ to destroy the Death Star. We have a collaborator on board the battle station who will attempt to obliterate it himself, but he may need back up. I strongly urge you to prepare as many X-wings as possible for battle and head for Krylon as soon as possible. This may be our only chance before the Death Star is reclaimed by Palpatine and used to destroy an inhabited world."

This statement caused both generals to gasp.

"Palpatine is not in command of the Death Star now? Is Tarkin attempting a coup?" the Rieekan demanded.

The Organas looked at one another and then Leia said carefully, "The situation is extremely complex, Generals. I urge you to give the orders to have the X-wings prepared for battle, and perhaps we can go on board the _Millennium Falcon_ to discuss what has happened on board the Death Star during the last week."

Dodonna nodded briskly, "Of course. Castilon, order all available pilots to prepare for battle against the Death Star. Ensure that all X-wings are fully loaded with proton torpedoes."

Castilon saluted and departed, and the other Alliance soldiers were dismissed as well.

"It will take approximately an hour for the X-wings to be prepared. In the meantime, I believe some explanations are in order," Rieeken stated.

Bail nodded and gestured, "Please, come on board."

The two generals climbed the ramp and boarded the _Millennium Falcon_ , followed by the others.

Once on board, Bail explained, "Generals, this is Captain Solo, who graciously assisted Princess Leia and Obi-wan Kenobi in escaping from Tatooine, and who has been instrumental in much that has happened since then. His co-pilot, the Wookie Chewbacca."

There was a murmur of introductions. Solo was still looking slightly startled from the revelations of the past few hours, but he greeted the Rebel generals with typical aplomb.

"Captain," Bail said smoothly, "Would it be possible for us to congregate in a quiet and private area on the ship? We have some rather delicate issues to discuss."

Solo quirked an eyebrow but nodded, "Well, you can hang out in the largest of the storage compartments. It's not beautiful, but it is quite sound proofed and I have some cargo that will work for seating.

"Chewie, show them the way."

The generals, the Organas, and Kenobi followed Chewbacca into a secluded section of the ship, with Kenobi fetching Luke along the way. The storage compartment was austere and rather chilly, but there were (conveniently enough) padded rolls of some esoteric wool which were moderately comfortable to sit on.

Luke watched with a slight grin as his sister and her adopted mother both seated themselves with royal dignity. He expected such things were learned young by the noble children of Alderaan.

He, being a Tatooine farmboy, flopped rather inelegantly down next to Obi-wan, and waited.

Bail started out, "General Dodonna, General Rieekan, this is former General Obi-wan Kenobi, with whom I served in the Clone Wars. I assure you that you can trust him completely."

Dodonna nodded a greeting, and said gravely, "We are delighted to have you fighting at our side, General Kenobi. I was under the impression that you had died during the Jedi Purges. It is a pleasant surprise to see you alive and well now."

There was an implicit question in that statement, and Kenobi responded to it.

"Yes, I'm sure it is a surprise. Since time is of the essence, I suggest I give a rapid synopsis of the situation, or at least as rapid as possible given the complexities. Is that permissible?"

There were nods. The old man closed his eyes briefly, glanced at Luke, then looked at Dodonna and Rieekan.

"I have been on Tatooine the last 19 years, Generals, watching over Luke here."

He gestured at Luke.

"This young man is the son of Anakin Skywalker, my former padawan and partner."

There was a gasp from Rieekan, who interjected, "This is Skywalker's son? I don't know a great deal about the Old Order, but I know that they were not permitted to marry or have children!"

Kenobi sighed and looked regretful, then reached out a comforting hand to touch Luke's shoulder.

"Indeed, it was forbidden. Nevertheless, Anakin fell in love with the Senator of Naboo, Padme Naberrie, and married her secretly at the beginning of the Clone Wars."

There were soft murmurs at Padme's name, but no comments.

Kenobi continued, more slowly, "Anakin Skywalker had the highest midi-chlorian count ever measured, which meant that he had the potential to be the most powerful Jedi to ever exist. Tragically, the Jedi order in general, and I in particular, failed to support and protect him adequately in his youth and during the Clone Wars. The then Chancellor Palpatine courted him, enticed him, lured him, and in the end… well, Generals, there is no easy way to say this. In the end, Anakin Skywalker pledged his allegiance to Palpatine, turned to the Dark Side, and took the name Darth Vader."

There was a frozen moment, and then both Generals leaped to their feet.

"This is Darth Vader's son?" Dodonna demanded incredulously, "And you have brought him here? How could you bring the son of that butcher, that homicidal tyrant, to our base? Are you mad?"

Everyone else rose as well, and Leia sidled close to Luke, with Obi-wan on his other side protectively.

"Generals," Bail said firmly, "An individual is not defined by his genetic history. You must know that. Luke has been under the eye of Kenobi and his aunt and uncle, all entirely faithful people. I too have been peripherally involved in his life for the last several years. I assure you that Luke is entirely to be trusted."

"I assure you as well," Leia said fiercely, her eyes flashing, "And what you just said was extremely insulting to all that Luke has done for the cause. He put himself in danger to save not just me, but Alderaan itself."

Rieekan placed a restraining hand on Dodonna, whose angry gaze softened under the other man's stare.

"I apologize, then," Dodonna grated, "Please continue."

Kenobi sat down, causing everyone else to seat themselves as well. Luke felt a ripple of fear, and was reassured by a wave of love from his sister. He had not adequately considered the hostility he might encounter as Vader's son, but in retrospect it was an obvious concern. However, it would have come out at some point anyway. Far better to have the Rebel leadership informed now rather than to be blindsided by some announcement from Palpatine.

Obi-wan continued in his trademark soothing Jedi voice, "When Princess Leia arrived on Tatooine with the Death Star plans, Imperial troops followed so quickly that I was forced to intervene with my lightsaber to rescue Leia and the droid carrying the Death Star schematics. Unfortunately, Luke's mother Padme had already taken a dose of a powerful medication which was helping her overcome a brain injury, and needed to be kept quiet and still for 24 hours. Luke volunteered to stay behind with her while his aunt and uncle, the princess, and I left to get the Death Star plans to Alderaan. I was, to be honest, opposed to this course of action, but Luke refused to leave his mother entirely unprotected. Vader, hearing of the presence of a Force user on Tatooine, perhaps even knowing it was me, came down and discovered his brain damaged wife and his son. And from that moment, he began to change."

Rieekan shook his head, "I realize he was your former padawan and partner, Kenobi, but do you know what Vader has done in the last 19 years?"

Kenobi sagged slightly, his eyes and face suddenly unutterably weary, "Generals, I sensed the devastation in the Force when the newly created Sith Lord Darth Vader, supported by clones, went to the Jedi temple and slaughtered the younglings there, from children almost in their teens to toddlers in their crèches. I sensed the darkness spreading over the galaxy as he hunted down the Jedi and their padawans after the rise of the Empire, as he instigated acts of terror on worlds from the Outer Rim to the Core. Yes, I know what Vader has done. Nevertheless, he is, without a doubt, genuinely devoted to his wife and his son and it is changing him, even if he is reluctant to admit it. My continued existence is evidence of that. I put him in that life support suit 19 years ago. I'm the one who cut off three of his limbs and left him to burn in the lava fields of Mustafar. I know his hatred for me is deep and abiding, but because Luke intervened on my behalf, he neither harmed nor killed me after I surrendered."

There was a horrified pause. Leia was looking particularly distressed and Luke reached out with his Force presence and enveloped her with his comforting touch. He knew more than she did about their father's injuries, though Kenobi had never described the encounter at Mustafar quite so coldly and brutally.

After a moment, Kenobi continued, "Governor Tarkin ordered that Princess Leia and I be brought to the Command Center of the Death Star. He told the princess that unless she disclosed the location of this Rebel base, he would destroy Alderaan. Leia gave him the name Dantooine, and I could sense in the Force that Tarkin believed her. Nevertheless, he ordered that the Death Star fire on Alderaan. He was going to destroy the planet as part of the Tarkin Doctrine, the ideology of rule through fear. Before he could finish his order, Vader stepped around Princess Leia and cut Tarkin's head off with his lightsaber. He then forced the technicians to move away from the controls. Luke was disguised as a guard, with of course Vader's assistance, and he freed me."

There was another pause, this one of horror and amazement.

"Alderaan…" Rieekan choked out.

"Was almost destroyed, yes," Breha Organa said, still sounding shaken at the thought many days later, "But Vader intervened and saved our planet, saved it because Luke pleaded with him. Not only was Luke rightfully distressed at the loss of so many billions, but his aunt and uncle, his foster parents, were on Alderaan. Vader intervened because of family considerations."

There was a pause. Luke carefully kept his eyes away from his hidden twin, afraid that he might give something away about Leia. The agreement to keep Leia's biological relationship with Vader secret from everyone had been a difficult one to make, and Luke hoped they could pull it off. Dodonna had very keen eyes and obviously was brilliant.

Rieekan was still silent, no doubt processing the reality that his home world had nearly been destroyed. Dodonna spoke up.

"And then?"

Bail took up the tale, "Leia contacted me securely and asked us to come on board along with the Lars, Luke's aunt and uncle. We chose to come on board on the _Millennium Falcon_ , and Vader stated his intention of destroying the Death Star and then killing Palpatine. We set course for Krylon so that the Death Star could be safely evacuated of its personnel. That was at Luke's insistence by the way, as he insisted that we should not destroy more than a million sentients, many of them lower level grunts and conscripts. We also, with Vader's full assistance, freed many hundred political prisoners and a group of enslaved Wookies.

"The Death Star should be fully emptied in another 5 hours, at which point Darth Vader intends to destroy the Death Star by targeting the exhaust port with his retrofitted TIE Advanced. He agreed, however, that he might be prevented by unforeseen circumstances, and thus we agreed that X-wings should be sent from the Rebel base to assist in destroying the Death Star if necessary."

The subsequent silence stretched on, and on, and on. Luke shifted impatiently, but Leia sent him another soothing wave and he smiled a little at her. This was diplomacy in action, apparently, and his job was to keep his mouth shut.

Abruptly, Rieekan spoke up, "I trust you but I must ask this. Do you believe Vader will really do what he says? Destroy, or assist in destroying, the Death Star? Turn against his master? Turn Rebel?"

"He is not turning Rebel, General," Luke said firmly, surprising everyone in the room, including himself.

He continued more moderately, "We had an argument less than 24 hours ago about democracy. His basic stance seems to be that the masses are too stupid to know their own best interests. I challenged him about the evil of the Empire in general and about Kashyyyk in particular. I am not a debater so we just agreed to disagree, but he is not considering formally joining the Alliance. He will destroy the Death Star, or attempt to. He will try to kill Palpatine, partly because he loathes the man, mostly to protect me and my mother. I really don't know what will happen if he succeeds in killing the Emperor. I don't think _he_ knows."

"Do you believe he will set himself up as the next Emperor?" Dodonna asked, obviously keeping his voice calm with an effort.

Luke looked at Obi-wan with lifted eyebrows.

Kenobi shook his head, "I doubt it. Vader isn't a politician, though he does crave power. His primary goal when he first turned to the Dark Side was to save his wife Padme from death in childbirth, as he was being plagued by prophetic dreams of her demise."

He apparently sensed the wave of bewilderment because he waved a hand, "That is a complex tale and we don't have the time now to discuss it. Vader would likely assume the role of Emperor if Padme and Luke encouraged him to do so, but Luke has been steadfast about refusing to entertain such a thought. And Padme's mind is partially broken, but I know she is still entirely committed to democracy and would eagerly let Vader know that if she ever has the chance."

Luke chuckled softly, to everyone's surprise.

"Actually, while we were en route to Alderaan," Luke explained, "Mother had one of her so called 'awakenings' when she was completely lucid. She threw me out of the room and went after Father. I didn't hear their conversation, but I felt the waves of righteous indignation rolling from her, and when I went back in I could tell Father was quite chastened. Mother is a spitfire."

Leia's eyes met his with secret delight. He knew that the knowledge of Vader's biological connection to her was difficult. But she loved and admired Padme Naberrie Skywalker.

Dodonna nodded slowly, "So you believe that if we send X-wings to Krylon, they won't be ambushed by Vader's Imperials? I want to be entirely certain of that."

"I am completely certain," Kenobi said.

The Organas all nodded as well.

Leia spoke up, "He will destroy the Death Star if he can. And for now, he is on our side in the sense that he strongly desires to kill Palpatine. I am confident he will not betray us, for to do so would be to betray his family."

There was a quiet acquiescence from the Rebel leaders, and Luke sensed the time was right to speak up.

"Generals, I respectfully request that I be permitted to fly an X-wing during the attack," he said courteously.

Not only the Rebel generals, but the Organas looked at him in amazement. Only Obi-wan seemed unsurprised.

"Luke, no," Leia said in distress, "You've never flown an X-wing, never been in a space battle. That would be suicide!"

Luke was startled at how similarly his father and sister spoke of his plan to participate in the Death Star attack.

"Leia, I've been living safely on Tatooine all my life, not involved at all in the Rebellion against the Empire," he responded steadily, "I know that the shot on the exhaust port will be very difficult without the use of the Force. Maybe impossible. Vader, my father, can make that shot, but in the event of some hindrance I might be the only other person who can. That is, assuming you don't wish to attempt it, Ben."

Kenobi's eyes widened and he chuckled slightly, "Absolutely not, Luke. To be honest, I'm not a very good pilot. Your father, on the hand, was the best starfighter in the galaxy and I know from your exploits in Tatooine's canyons that you share his giftedness. I am concerned you've never flown an X-wing, though."

"The controls for the X-wing are similar to those of my landspeeder," Luke argued, "And Vader allowed me to use the best TIE and X-wing simulators available aboard the _Devastator_. He claimed that they simulate real battle conditions almost completely, except of course that the pilot can't actually crash, get blown up, or die."

Leia winced slightly at this, but Bail looked interested, "How did you do, Luke?"

Luke tried to hide a grin, then gave up, "I beat their highest score ever, actually, on both sims. Vader had them delete my scores, mostly because he wanted to hide my presence on board the ship. I could tell his men were happy about his decision, though."

"It's still not the same as operating in an actual fighter, though, Luke," Leia said worriedly, "You've never flown in combat."

"You can trust Luke, Princess," Obi-wan said, and Luke knew he was talking to everyone in the room, "He is a phenomenal pilot and has the Force at his command. If he desires to fly against this diabolical weapon of the Empire, if he wishes to risk his life to save the lives of potential millions, than we should not stand in his way."

There was another long pause, and everyone else either nodded or made noises of agreement. Luke sensed a lightening of Dodonna's attitude toward him, though there was still suspicion.

"There is another vital point," Kenobi continued, "Luke and Vader have agreed that his existence should be made public. They believe that Palpatine will soon learn, or already knows, that the son of Darth Vader is alive and well. Furthermore, the announcement that Vader's son is working for the Rebellion should drive home the complete rift between the Emperor and his former second-in-command. However, we are extremely desirous that Padme stay hidden. She is vulnerable, and given Vader's devotion to her, it is likely the Emperor would send agents after her if it was discovered that she is alive."

There were nods all around. No arguments about Padme.

Dodonna glanced at Rieekan, then stood up. Everyone followed.

"Very well, then," he said heavily, "May the Force be with us all."

 _1 hour later_

Luke Skywalker smoothly adjusted the course of his X-wing, swinging it around the bulk of the _Liberty_ , a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser which had providentially arrived at Yavin within the last day, and would be used as a support ship for the attack. There was agreement that X-wings might be damaged and/or lose hyperdrive capability, and the _Liberty_ would stand by a short distance from Krylon to assist the snub fighters as necessary.

Surprisingly, the other Rebel pilots had accepted him with alacrity. There was a spare X-wing due to the death of another Rebel pilot during a recent on-planet mission, and the general consensus seemed to be that any warm body that could fly an X-wing was welcome. He had been introduced as Luke Skywalker, but his relationship to Vader had not been explained. He was thankful to have R2D2 as his astromech; he didn't know the droid that well, but knew him to be capable of making quick decisions in difficult situations.

He could sense his sister Leia on the _Liberty_ , her presence a bright beacon the Force. His mother Padme's presence was muted, relatively speaking, but he could sense her as well. He knew that Padme's medical staff, plus the crew of the _Millenium Falcon_ were on board the _Liberty_ as well. The _Falcon_ was being carried in one of the _Liberty_ 's hanger bays, and there had been quick agreement among Kenobi and the elder Organas that if the _Liberty_ fell under attack by Imperial forces, Leia, Padme, and her medical staff would be whisked away to safety on the _Falcon_. Luke, who didn't know Solo well, felt through the Force that the man could be trusted. He also sensed a definite attraction between the smuggler and his high spirited sister, though neither the pirate nor the princess had verbally acknowledged anything other than irritation for each other.

And perhaps, Luke mused, that was part of the appeal for his sister. Solo didn't fawn over, or grovel before, his lovely and intelligent sister. They both had sharp and quick wits, and both seemed to enjoy their rapid repartee.

The comm roared to life, breaking into his thoughts.

"X-wing pilots, prepare to make the jump to lightspeed on my mark."

Luke waited for the countdown, and jumped when instructed.

The stars spread out into the lines of hyperspace.

In 5 hours, they would be at the Death Star, or what was left of it. If all had gone completely as planned, his father would have already destroyed the battle station. Luke could only hope that this monument of destruction could be obliterated without sentient casualties, without interference by the local Krylon governor or worse yet, by Palpatine himself. He was, briefly, consumed by anxiety. So many things could go wrong.

He forced himself to take a deep breath and relax, to focus on the peace and calm of the Light Side of the Force. All he could do, all any of them could do, was to follow the plan, make adjustments as needed, and to do the best they could in an uncertain situation.

 ** _Author Note: I have no idea how long it would take to go from Krylon to Yavin by hyperspace. Forgive me if 5 hours is ridiculous_**

 ** _I don't think Rieekan was originally at Yavin but I decided to have him there because I like him!_**

 ** _Thanks again to all of you reviewing and following._**


	19. Chapter 19

_4 hours later_

 _Death Star in orbit around Krylon_

Darth Vader stared at the large viewscreen in the command center of the Death Star in disbelief.

On the screen, in all his green-gray, bulbous glory, was Dusik the Hutt. He was speaking forcefully in Huttese, while a meek Twi'lek male dressed in gray robes stood at his left.

" _How dare you foul Imperials invade our land and cities on Krylon, you pathetic cretin_ ," Dusik roared in Huttese.

The pale Twi'lek stiffened slightly, and began 'translating', "Lord Vader, it is truly my honor to welcome the Empire to Krylon. We are, however, concerned about the encroachment of Imperial forces into areas which have historically belonged to the Hutt clans."

" _You Imperial bootlickers to that scum Palpatine always believe you can do whatever you want, don't you? You'll find yourself entirely mistaken this time! Meet me in my palace and I'll show you who rules this world!_ " Dusik snarled.

"With all due respect, we propose that you condescend to meet me in my main base on Krylon, where we can discuss the appropriate dispersion of Imperial Forces to prevent any unpleasant confrontations," the Twi'lek continued.

" _Your sorcerer's powers will not save you. I will personally feed you to my pack of ralltiil tigers!"_

The Twi'lek paused, apparently thinking, then stated, "It will be our honor to welcome you with all the dignity and honor that you deserve, Lord Vader."

The Sith Lord had pinpointed Dusik on the planet by now and responded in Huttese, " _I am fluent in your tongue, Dusik the Hutt._ "

Even as he spoke the words, he reached out through the Force. The Hutt's body stiffened in shock and terror, his fleshy hands reaching for his throat, even as he began twitching, his tongue lolling out if his gigantic mouth. The Twi'lek turned so pale that Vader thought he might faint, but then actually started to smile when he realized his foul master's end had come.

It took surprisingly long for the Hutt to choke to death, but Vader enjoyed every second. He had been holding himself back from attacking sentients with his family in residence. This crime lord scum deserved death, and it was the Dark Lord's pleasure to visit retribution on this beings who had enslaved hundreds, perhaps thousands, of beings in his long career.

He turned away from the viewscreen as the Hutt Lord collapsed to one side, life extinguished.

One of his officers from the 501st stood waiting, his face a mixture of awe and respect.

Vader ordered, "Inform the battalion commanders that the Hutt Lord is dead. All remaining troops leaving the Death Star will disembark in the vicinity of Dusik's base. In order to minimize confrontation with non-combatants on Krylon, troops are instructed to restrict their movements to a 25 km by 25 km zone centered around Dusik's palace until further notice. You are free to seize any supplies necessary from Dusik's stores, and all sentients in that zone should be treated as hostiles."

"Yes, my Lord," the officer replied, and turned away.

Vader turned back to the viewscreen, struggling to keep his anxiety under control. The evacuation of the Death Star had gone more slowly than he had hoped. The governor of Krylon had instigated some delay, more out of incompetent stupidity than anything else. Additionally, the Hutt Lord Dusik had been outraged and had caused some initial problems; Vader was thankful the fool had chosen to contact him directly, allowing the Dark Lord to pinpoint his location and put an end to him.

80% of the Death Star's personnel had disembarked at this point, and he hoped the remaining 20% would be off the station within 3 hours. 3 hours wasn't a great deal of time, but Vader had an inkling, a deep seated restlessness in his soul, which told him that time was running out.

He could, of course, get in his TIE Advanced and destroy the Death Star. Over 800,000 men had been evacuated.

But Luke would be grieved over the loss of the remaining 100,000+.

Vader sighed. For now, he would continue to wait. His TIE Advanced stood ready in a nearby hanger. Black Squadron was waiting in their ships there as well, ready to provide covering fire as needed. The shot would not be terribly difficult for one with the power of the Force at his command.

Almost absently, he stretched out his Force sense into the void. Luke's presence met him there, a glorious, precious beacon of light. And he was approaching rapidly, so he must be in hyperspace. The anxiety in Vader receded slightly, soothed by his son's approach. He cared for Leia even as he was devoted to Luke, but Luke had openly accepted him, whereas Leia was (not unreasonably) holding him at a formal distance. Vader had hope, though; a bond linked Vader and his twins together, with sweet, broken Padme at the epicenter of their family relationships. It was, Vader mused, somewhat ironic that three powerful, intelligent individuals could be so devoted to a weak woman, for indeed Padme was weak now. But that was part of devoted love, was it not? To love even when the other was weak?

These sentimental (and indeed, inappropriate for a Sith Lord) musings were cut short with brutal suddenness.

Alarms suddenly went off, and Vader turned quickly.

An officer rushed up, "My Lord, a fleet of Star Destroyers has come out of hyperspace on the other side of Krylon!"

At the same moment, a cold, questing, clawing, possessive, familiar voice spoke into Vader's mind.

" _I am here, my traitorous apprentice_."

/-/-/-/-/-/

 _In hyperspace, thirty minutes from Krylon_

Luke had been almost dozing, relaxing into the peace of hyperspace. He had felt his father's gentle, questing touch and had stretched out in response, when he suddenly felt his father's mind cringe in fear.

" _Father?"_ he sent back frantically, " _What is wrong?"_

There was a long delay and Luke found himself shifting in his seat anxiously. He had never tried to 'talk' to his father this way. Would the Sith Lord even be able to hear him?

His father's mental voice suddenly filled his mind, heavy with dread, " _The Emperor is here, my son._ "

" _We will be there in 30 minutes, Father,_ " Luke sent back frantically, " _Hang on!_ "

/-/-/-/

 _Death Star Command Center_

As soon as Darth Sidious's voice filled Vader's head, the junior Sith Lord threw up his most powerful mental shields. He would not allow that monster to see through his eyes, sift through his thoughts. For his family's sake, he would stay strong against the man who had succeeded so well in deceiving the galaxy to his true intent and formidable power.

His officers were waiting on him, their fear obvious on their faces. They knew that allegiance to Vader in this case was treason against the Emperor.

"Commander Tregast, which Star Destroyer is closest to us?" Vader demanded.

Would the Emperor himself be coming in the _Emperor's Dominion_? Or would he hang back?

Tregast studied the readouts carefully, then straightened, "My Lord, all the Star Destroyers remain on the other side of Krylon from the Death Star, and it appears their orbits have been deliberately chosen to maintain those relative positions to this battle station. However, the capital ships are dispersing many squadrons of smaller craft, primarily standard TIE fighters, but at least 40 shuttles as well. They will be within battle range in less than 10 minutes."

A junior officer spoke up, obviously so distressed by the situation that Imperial protocol was temporarily forgotten, "Why are those Star Destroyers staying away?"

Vader was bewildered as well. What was Palpatine up to?

There was a pause, before Tregast coughed and said carefully, "I believe, my Lord, that the Star Destroyers are staying out of range of the Death Star's superlaser."

Vader looked at him and then nodded in relief. Of course. Palpatine didn't know that Vader had sabotaged the superlaser controls. He was holding back his Star Destroyers, while sending in men to…to board the Death Star! To try to retake it!

"Give the order that all men still on the Death Star must abandon the station immediately, due to an unforeseen increase in the rate of the toxic spore's multiplication rate. All units are to descend immediately to Krylon and not interfere with any of the battle maneuvers in progress in space," he commanded.

After a brief moment of thought, he added "I will be leaving the ship immediately on my TIE Advanced. Command crew, you are ordered to sabotage the navigational instrumentation in this command center, and abandon the station in ten minutes. You will take shuttles to the _Devastator_ and await my commands. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

"Commander Tregast, you have done well. Inform the captain of the _Devastator_ that all ships arriving from the other side of Krylon are deemed hostile. If an attempt is made by those ships to board the _Devastator_ , they are to be destroyed. If larger capital ships attack the _Devastator_ , he will respond to defend the ship. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my Lord," Tregast said, and turned sharply on his heel to head for a comlink.

Vader strode toward the elevators. He had all too little time to destroy the Death Star before the Emperor realized that the Star Destroyers could safely approach the station.

/-/-/-/-/

 _On board the Emperor's Dominion_

 _Emperor Palpatine's private command center_

Palpatine gritted his aged and yellowed teeth. He had briefly touched the mind of his former apprentice, only to be promptly thrown out. There had been a brief contact which showed all too much Light in Vader's soul, and then the wall had clanged shut.

Sidious leaned back and analyzed the situation. A series of reports were arriving even now from embedded agents on the Death Star. All reported that Vader had arrived on Krylon and then ordered the abandonment of the Death Star, citing sabotage by "toxic spore" as the reason.

Toxic spore. Really. Did his men have no initiative? No curiosity? No courage to ask questions?

He sighed to himself. Well, of course they didn't. Such things were drummed out of the vast majority of the men during training. And of course to directly challenge Vader was suicidal.

So…Vader was evacuating the Death Star. That must mean that he had found an alternate source of troops, men who could be trusted to obey him and only him. Vader could hardly kill a million men easily, so apparently the younger Sith Lord had chosen to disperse the men on Krylon, and would shortly jump to light speed to unknown parts, where his new army awaited.

If that were so, perhaps his apprentice's 'sudden' rebellion was not so sudden after all? The discovery of the young Skywalker may have accelerated Vader's plans to revolt, but it appeared that the seeds must have been laid long ago.

Speaking of the young one – the Emperor stretched out his Force sense again. The boy was not on the Death Star or in the nearby environs. Regrettable. He would have liked to deal with both Vader and his son at the same time, but it appeared the father would be today's sole target.

Palpatine smiled grimly. He had detected surprise and indeed terror from Vader during that brief moment of contact; thus, Sidious's arrival had not been expected. That gave the Emperor the upper hand. And he had every intention of making use of it.

He would prevail. He would either capture Darth Vader and destroy him slowly, or kill him today.

Either way, his wayward apprentice would regret the day he chose to bare his fangs and turn on his superior and master.

With a flick of the Force, he turned on the comm.

"Commander, give the following orders to the TIE pilots…"

/-/-/-/-

 _Death Star_

Darth Vader lifted off with his TIE Advanced, and the rest of Black Squadron rose with him.

They were his most trusted pilots and completely loyal to him. He knew that. Nevertheless, he was aware of an undercurrent of terror in his soul. Sidious was here, waiting in the shadows of Krylon, preparing to pounce. There were few things that terrified Darth Vader, but Sidious's wrath struck true fear in his heart.

For his children's sakes, for Padme's sake, he must not fail now. He must destroy the Death Star. If he perished after that, so be it.

He emerged from the hanger bay of the Death Star and immediately flew toward the meridian trench. The thermal exhaust port was on the other side of the station from the Command Center hanger bay, and it would take him several minutes to reach the appropriate trench.

His Force sense flared, as a squadron of 'enemy' TIES flew over the horizon of the Death Star toward him.

(How strange to be under attack from TIEs!)

He banked and turned, firing and destroying two TIEs. His fellow squad mates fanned out, twisting and turning in space, firing at the enemies.

Though it was hard to tell who was who. He was distinctive in his TIE Advanced, but all the other TIEs looked the same!

"Black Squadron," he ordered, "set frequency controls to 437. Ping every three seconds so that you are able to determine which TIEs are enemy pilots."

"Copy, Black Leader," responded the others.

One of Vader's screens lit up, showing the location of Black Squadron and…the other TIEs.

Vader's breathing stayed regulated, but inside he was stunned. There were so many of them! There were literally hundreds of TIEs converging on his position. Yes, his squadron was the best there was, but there were only 12 of them plus himself. They couldn't hold out against so many.

Even as that thought crossed his mind, he saw Black 8 disappear into a fireball after an enemy TIE spun too far to the right and crashed directly into him.

Vader did not mourn, it was not his way, but he felt regret. He had no idea that he was leading his squadron into a suicide mission.

What was going on? The space station was huge! Why were all the TIEs here?

And then it hit him. Palpatine was behind this. Sidious wanted him dead or incapacitated. Palpatine had ordered the TIEs to ignore the men leaving the battle station, to ignore the _Devastator_. No doubt the shuttles were offloading men into the Death Star itself in an attempt to take control of it, but every TIE was after him personally.

Despair gripped him. He would not be able to destroy the Death Star with this many attackers. He had failed.

/-/-/-

 _Near the Death Star, Krylon_

Luke, feeling nearly frantic with worry, heaved a sigh of relief as his X-wing dropped out of hyperspace. A quick glance at his screen showed the other 19 X-wings had successfully negotiated hyperspace as well, and a moment later the larger blip of the _Liberty_ appeared on his screen.

A larger scan of the area showed complete chaos. The Death Star still orbited Krylon, still very much in one piece. The _Devastator_ was flying near the Death Star. And hundreds of TIES, hundreds, were swarming around the meridian trench of the giant space station.

And more ominously, there were very large blips on the other side of Krylon. An Imperial Fleet of Star Destroyers had arrived.

He sent out a frantic call to Vader.

" _Father, are you all right?"_

Again, a terrifying long pause.

 _"_ _Luke, I'm under severe attack. I cannot make the shot to destroy the Death Star. You will need to make it yourself."_

There was a sudden shift in Vader's Force presence, a feeling not quite of pain, but close to it.

" _Father? Father! Are you injured?"_

" _I am well enough, Luke. I'll draw the TIEs away from the thermal exhaust port region. They are under orders from Palpatine to pursue me. Luke, you have to make that shot. It is almost certain that only you can do it."_

Luke forced himself to remain calm, to avoid the obvious reality that Vader could be dead in seconds. His father was right. The Death Star must be destroyed. By a Skywalker.

/-/-

 _On board the Liberty_

 _The Organas suite_

Breha Organa placed a comforting arm around Leia, who was standing at a window staring at the Death Star in the distance.

"I'm sure he'll be all right, Leia," she said soothingly.

Leia shook her head in distress, "He's never been in combat, Mother. I'm very afraid for him."

There was a sudden interruption as Beru Lars stepped into the room looking anxious.

"Leia, your…Padme is quite distressed. She keeps saying 'Luke, Luke, Anakin, Anakin, Leia, Leia! I can't soothe her!"

Leia turned away from the window, struggling with the need to focus on her twin while also feeling the responsibility of helping her biological mother.

Breha rescued her, "Beru, Padme and I go back quite a ways and I often sat with her when she was in her near coma. Perhaps I can help."

She nodded reassuringly to Leia, and left.

Leia turned back, only to be interrupted again when the door opened to reveal Obi-wan Kenobi and Han Solo.

Kenobi spoke quickly, "Leia, I'm having trouble focusing on Luke in the midst of the battle in general, and Vader's situation in particular. Are you able to sense him?"

"Yes," she said, "He's Ok, but something went wrong with the plan. I think Vader isn't able to make the trench shot for some reason."

Obi-wan looked grim, "Vader is totally surrounded by enemy TIEs, Leia. I'm afraid he's in trouble. I sense Palpatine and I believe he's focused on capturing or killing Vader. That leaves our pilots more open for the attack run but…"

Leia lifted a hand up to her eyes and wiped tears away angrily. She hated and despised Vader for his multitude of crimes against the galaxy, but he had saved Alderaan, done so much for her sake. She didn't want him to die right now. More than that, she didn't want him captured. The Emperor would…well, she didn't want to even think about it.

/-/-/-

 _In space, closing in on the Death Star_

Luke turned on his comm and spoke, "Red Leader, this is Red Five. I request permission to make the attack run on the Death Star's meridian trench."

There was a pause, and then Red Leader spoke, "That's a negative, Red Five. Other pilots have far more experience. Prepare to run interference for Red Two, Red Three and Red Four, who will make the first run."

Luke bit his lip, wondering what to do. He suspected time was very short…

There was a sudden sound of static, then the voice of General Rieekan broke in, "Red Leader, this is General Rieekan. Allow Red Five to make the attack run. He has special skills that greatly increase the chance of success."

There was another pause, then Red Leader spoke, apparently without rancor, "As you wish, General. Red Three and Four, prepare to support Red Five. Red Five, begin your attack run."

Luke, breathing a sigh of relief, set his sights on the meridian trench. He sank deeply into the Force and set his mental sights on that tiny thermal exhaust port.

/-/-/

 _Star Destroyer Emperor's Dominion_

 _Emperor Palpatine's private quarters_

"Your Highness, advance troops have reached the Death Star's command center. They report that the Death Star firing and navigational controls have been sabotaged. The Death Star is not able to fire."

Palpatine froze into stunned immobility. Why would Vader do that? Unless he knew that once the Emperor had arrived, there was no hope of holding the battle station against Sidious's forces? That must be it. In any case…

"Commander, order all Star Destroyers except this ship toward the Death Star and prepare to support the TIEs battling against Lord Vader, his squadron, and the _Devastator_."

He would not risk his own life, of course. He would command from afar, safe from any frantic attempts on his life by Darth Vader.

/-/-/-

 _In space near the surface of the Death Star_

Darth Vader and what remained of Black Squadron flew away from the thermal exhaust port. The Dark Lord flew in and around towers, using them as cover to avoid the constant barrage of fire from the TIEs swarming around him. They were like schools of burra fish; singly or in twos or threes, of no concern at all. But given the tremendous number of enemy TIEs, he was struggling to maintain shield integrity. He had already experienced one direct hit that had caused a mild electrical surge, causing very minor damage to his armor. It had not felt pleasant.

/-/-/-/-

 _The Liberty_

Han Solo looked at Princess Leia Organa, perturbed by his own emotional upheaval. Obviously the princess was in love with Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader's son. How had that even happened? A Sith Lord's son and the daughter of Alderaanian royalty?

And why did he care?

He had lived a "solo" life for many years now, with Chewbacca his only consistent companion. Why was this gorgeous, intelligent, cranky girl causing such upheaval in his heart? Why did he feel…well, jealous of Luke Skywalker?

The princess was obviously way out of his league. But he found himself thinking about her often, about her wit, her beauty, her almost abrasive lack of charm at times. He smiled a little to himself, thinking of their many altercations aboard the _Millennium Falcon_ on their way from Tatooine to Alderaan. He had enjoyed himself thoroughly, and knew that she had too.

To see her like this, hollow eyed, obviously fearful, made him feel…well, protective of her. And jealous. Definitely jealous.

The princess closed her eyes and reached her hands out to touch the window.

"Luke," she murmured softly, intently.

Solo couldn't help himself, "You love him, don't you?"

She turned and looked at him. The arrogant mask was gone entirely, leaving pale vulnerability.

"Yes," she said slowly, "Yes, I do love him. But not romantically. He's my brother."

Obi-wan spoke up in shock, "Leia!"

"What?!" Solo sputtered out.

"I sense we can trust him, Obi-wan," Leia said to Kenobi, then turned to Solo, "Luke and I are twins. Mother gave birth to us and we were separated as infants, raised in different families and on different planets until we connected again a few years ago. I'm so afraid, Han, I'm so afraid I'm going to lose him out there."

"So you are Vader's…?" Solo asked in disbelief.

"Biological progeny, yes, I am."

Leia turned back to the window. (Yes, he was definitely thinking of her as 'Leia' now. Her brother!)

Han thought for a moment and said, "So do you have this 'Force thing' going on with you too?"

(He wasn't sure he believed in the Force, but Chewie had told him things about the Jedi of old. And the Kid had done some amazing things with his lightsaber on the way to Krylon.)

Leia shook her head, "I have no training. But sometimes I get…feelings. And right now I feel Luke is in danger."

Solo had always been able to make rapid decisions. Whether those decisions were wise or not was another question entirely.

"Ok, I'll go help him," he said firmly.

Leia looked wide eyed at him, "Han, are you sure? That's a major battle out there!"

(She called him 'Han'!)

"Princess, don't you worry. The _Falcon_ 's got it where it counts. I'll be fine, and I'll help your br…Luke."

Leia's expression of amazement shifted into steely eyed determination, "Then I'm going with you."

She looked at Kenobi, apparently daring him to say something.

Kenobi looked thoughtful and said, "And I will come as well."

/-/-/-

 _Emperor's Dominion_

 _Emperor's private quarters_

Palpatine smiled with satisfaction. He could sense the turmoil in his former servant, sense the fear. Darth Vader was perhaps the greatest pilot ever known, but even he couldn't ward off hundreds of TIEs forever.

He stretched out in the Force and was startled to sense, along with his wayward apprentice, a brilliant Light in the Force.

Ah…the young Skywalker was here now! Most interesting. Sidious gathered himself in the Dark Side, stretched out, reached for that untainted mind…

And found him. The boy was in an enemy X-wing, now close to the Death Star. Really now. Did those foolish rebels imagine that they could infiltrate the Death Star and commandeer her, that they could successfully battle his myriad minions now aboard the battle station?

Puzzled, the Emperor glanced at the viewscreen. There were all of 20 X-wings, plus one larger Rebel cruiser hanging out in space far from the battle. 20 men to take the Death Star? Ludicrous.

Uneasy, Palpatine reached out again to the young Skywalker, attempting to reach into the boy's mind. He was promptly tossed out. The boy's shields were not impregnable, but over this distance Palpatine, with Vader's Force presence a powerful distraction, he couldn't break through them.

Irritated, he shifted his focus to another one of the enemy pilots. This one was Force blind. Fools like that were not necessarily easy to infiltrate, but he was the strongest Dark Side user in the galaxy. He dove into the man's brain.

Antilles was his name.

He was 26 years old, originally from Corellia.

Useless information…

Wait…thermal exhaust port? Destruction of the Death Star?

The rebels were planning to _destroy_ the Death Star? Not steal her?

There was a flaw in his battle station! One which could possibly cause the destruction of the Death Star.

And a gifted Force user, the son of the greatest pilot in the galaxy, was gunning for it.

Agitated far beyond normal, Palpatine actually stabbed his comm with an aged and bent finger instead of using the Force.

"Commander, I have new orders for TIE squadrons 1 through 15!"

 _/-/-/-/-_

 _Meridian Trench, Death Star_

Luke Skywalker frowned with intense concentration. He had felt a cold touch through the Force from someone, no doubt the Emperor, but had successfully thrown up shields to protect his mind.

Now he 'just' had to blow up the Death Star.

While Luke was confident in his ability to make the shot, it had taken him longer than expected to fly to the Death Star, and then find the correct section of the meridian trench. When he had seen her from the _Devastator_ , the Death Star had looked huge. From a snub fighter flying along her equator, she was gigantic, enormous, mind boggling.

Leia would probably have more apt words for the battle station.

He stretched a quick probe toward his sister, and was surprised to sense determination and excitement in her, plus a sense of … motion? Was she going somewhere?

No time to think about it.

At least there were no enemy TIEs harassing him. Which meant they were still after Father.

No time to think about that either.

Luke dropped into the meridian trench and set his Force sights on that tiny exhaust port.

/-/-/-

 _Darth Vader's TIE Advanced_

"Black 5 and 12, break off and return to the _Devastator_. Use my command codes as authorization to order the captain to leave Krylon and proceed to Bast, where he will await further instructions. If I have not arrived in five standard days, order him to access Protocol 899."

"Yes, my Lord," the two remaining pilots responded, and peeled off.

Not surprisingly, the TIEs let them go and continued to fire at him.

Vader gritted his rather fragile teeth. His shields were down to 8%. A few more accurate shots by his enemies and he would be blown into oblivion.

He spun around a large tower. Three TIEs in pursuit couldn't make the sharp turn and smashed into the base. He flew into the void above the Death Star, firing rapidly, and destroyed four more. But the TIEs seemed innumerable. There were always more waiting to move in to attack him.

At least he was successfully keeping the TIEs from targeting Luke, whom he could sense was now in the trench.

Even as that thought crossed his mind, half of the remaining enemy TIEs suddenly broke off and flew towards the point in space where he could sense his son was flying.

" _Luke!"_

/-/-/-/-

 _In the meridian trench_

" _Father?_ " Luke asked anxiously.

His father responded quickly this time, _"Luke, I believe a large number of TIEs are coming after you. Be prepared for enemy fire. Are you close to the exhaust port?"_

" _I think another 3 minutes, Father. I can see the exhaust port on my targeting computer_."

" _Use the Force, Luke, don't trust your targeting computer_."

Luke nodded determinedly and sent back, " _Yes, Father._ "

/-/-/-

 _Millennium Falcon_

"Luke is over there," Leia said with her eyes closed, pointing unerringly toward a particular section of the meridian trench.

Solo shook his head and looked at Kenobi, who nodded encouragingly and said, "Trust her. She knows what she is talking about."

Solo glanced at Chewie, who howled, even as the pirate maneuvered the ship toward the moon sized battle station currently under attack by an incredible number of Imperial ships.

How had he gotten himself into this mess?

"There are numerous fighters heading for Luke," Leia said suddenly, "Vader says so."

Ok, more weirdness. Ok.

"Hurry, Captain, hurry," Kenobi said, sounding more agitated than Solo had observed in him before.

/-/-

 _Darth Vader's TIE Advanced_

Vader was vaguely aware of the _Devastator_ as it extricated itself from the battle and successfully went into lightspeed. He was pleased to know that at least some of his men would survive this mess.

His shields were down to 4%. His only hope now was to commandeer another ship, perhaps one of the smaller star cruisers. The men on board would be hostile, but he had the power of the Force and, perhaps, the hard wired codes which would allow him to take command of the ship's navigation and weaponry. (Assuming Palpatine hadn't changed the codes.)

It would be better than being obliterated in his TIE Advanced.

Swerving, twisting, and firing, he flew toward a corvette hanging in space near Krylon. The remaining TIEs followed him.

/-/-/

 _Luke's X-wing, the meridian trench of the Death Star_

The flight to the exhaust port had gone from easy to almost impossible in less than thirty seconds. A truly incredible number of TIEs were now attacking him in the trench, and the limitations of his position didn't allow for much maneuverability. His two Rebel wing-mates were doing their best to run interference and he was grateful. However, as Luke weaved and twisted, he kept an anxious watch on his shields, which were weakening as a cadre of TIEs took turns blasting away at him. Some were attempting to shoot him from above the trench; those were largely missing. But behind him were four TIEs who were occasionally making successful shots. He had already sustained minor damage to his port engine, though R2D2 had quickly managed to reroute some wiring to bring him back up to full power.

Luke stretched out his senses. He was only thirty seconds away from firing, but could he hang on that long?

Based on how rapidly his shields were failing, he would not.

He thought frantically about what to do, some way out, only to be startled by a series of shots coming from above. The TIEs behind him, the ones menacing his very life, suddenly blew up in a blazing burst of energy.

The trench was suddenly free and clear of flak. Luke stretched out through the Force in amazement and sensed his sister and Ben Kenobi aboard that old crate, the _Millennium Falcon_.

" _Luke, you're all clear. Blow this thing!"_ said his sister's voice in his mind.

Luke smiled slightly, relaxed, focused, sank into the Force…and fired.

He knew, he could see in his mind's eye, the torpedoes flying perfectly into the exhaust port, moving rapidly, unerringly, and powerfully toward the core of the Death Star.

"Go, go, go!" he yelled both into his comlink and telepathically to his family, "It's going to explode!"

The _Millennium Falcon_ and the remaining Rebel ships fled the battle station.

There was a heart stopping moment when all seemed peaceful, quiet, calm.

And then the Death Star blew into a million, trillion pieces.

 _Author Note: I was inspired by the Lord of the Rings, where Sauron can't even fathom deliberately destroying the One Ring because he can't imagine anyone willingly giving up such power. It took Palpatine a LONG time to realize that Vader and company were going to destroy the Death Star, not use her._


	20. Chapter 20

_Vader's TIE_

Vader's shields were down to 2% and he sensed his TIE pursuers closing in for the kill. In spite of his incredible piloting skill, in spite of his tremendous power in the Force, he was not able to protect himself against occasional shots breaking through from the swarm of TIEs pursuing him. The corvette he was aiming for was too far away. He was not going to reach her before a final errant shot broke through and destroyed him.

" _Go, go, go! It's going to explode!"_ he heard Luke shout into his mind.

There was a brief lull, like the moment of stillness before the violence of a sandstorm on Tatooine.

And then the Death Star blew.

Through the Force, he sensed the sudden loss of life of those men still inside when she exploded. A moment later he was jerked and buffeted by the ripples of the explosion that spread out from the Death Star.

It propelled him forward, increasing his velocity, and knocking many of his TIE pursuers off course.

The corvette, which he now recognized as the _Disruptor_ , was also affected by the explosive wave, but her greater mass meant that she did not move as quickly as he did; thus, his distance to her closed rapidly.

Alarms went off in Vader's TIE. A quick glance showed a hull breach from the energy wave. His shields were gone.

His armor and life support systems would protect him temporarily from the cold vacuum of space, but he needed to get off this TIE as quickly as possible.

The Dark Lord aimed for the landing bay of the _Disruptor_ , which was even now launching its own battalion of TIEs. Some of the pilots engaged him in battle, whereas others seemed more focused on fleeing. He was able to destroy three of his opponents and slip through the line.

With a final focused effort, he crashed more than landed his broken TIE Advanced on the landing bay floor. There was a brief flash of pain through the human parts of his body, and his left arm sparked dangerously.

For a long moment, he sat still, focusing on his mechanized breathing, seeking the immense Force power which seemed to be dancing just beyond his reach.

He was tired…so tired.

Unsteadily, he removed his restraints. Unsteadily, he threw open the door and dropped to the floor of the hanger bay. His ship was destroyed, and his prosthetics and armor had been moderately damaged in the crash. His left arm hung uselessly at his side. And he was alone on a corvette full of men no doubt ordered by Palpatine to kill or capture him.

He could only trust that the Force would be with him now.

/-/-/-/-

 _Luke's X-wing_

Luke's comm flickered on, yielding a cacophony of joyful sounds from the other Rebel pilots.

"Great shot, that was one in a million!"

"Fantastic, Luke! Great job!"

"Amazing job, Kid!"

The latter comment was, Luke thought with a slight smile, from Solo himself. It appeared that the pirate was being drawn ever more firmly into Leia's orbit. Solo's claim that it was all about the money was growing steadily less convincing.

And in his mind he heard from his sister, " _Wonderful shot, Luke. That was amazing. Now get out of there and get back to the_ Liberty _before all those Imperials recover from the shock!_ "

Imperials! Luke, briefly distracted by the thrill of victory, cast his Force sense out in a frantic search for his father. Where was he?

" _Father, Father? Where are you?"_

There was another terrifying pause, and then Vader responded, " _I am on board a corvette now, my son. Go, you and your sister. Be safe. I will contact you as soon as possible._ "

Luke hesitated in his mind, even has his hands automatically turned his X-wing toward the freedom of hyperspace. Vader didn't sound quite right…

 _"_ _Father, are you sure you are all right? Are you under attack? Imprisoned?"_

 _"_ _I am making my way to the main control room. I anticipate taking control of the ship shortly._ Go _, my son, leave me."_

Luke hesitated another few seconds, and abruptly turned his ship toward the corvette. He had waited his whole life to meet and know his father. He wasn't going to abandon him to death or imprisonment now.

/-/-/-

 _Millennium Falcon_

"What is the Kid doing?" Solo demanded, as Luke's X-wing peeled away and raced toward the Imperial fleet.

Leia's visage took on the intent look which he now recognized as her "Force telepathy" face.

When she spoke, her voice was hushed with incredulity, "He says that Vader is on that corvette over there, and Luke thinks he is injured. My insane brother is going to go in and try to help him."

Chewbacca howled at Solo in Shyriiwook, " _Brother?_ "

"Yeah, Chewie, the princess and Skywalker are twins. Big huge secret. I'll explain later."

He turned to Princess Leia, "He's going to take on an entire corvette of hostile Imperials?"

Leia shook her head in dismay, even as Kenobi spoke with obvious concern, "Luke has tremendous power in the Force, but his training is far from complete. I'm afraid he will run into serious trouble."

"Can you talk him out of this?" Han demanded.

Leia sighed, even as her expression grew even more distressed, "He's stubborn and ridiculously devoted to his family. He won't leave our father if he believes Vader is injured."

Han Solo groaned inwardly. Well, in for a credit, in for a nova crystal.

"All right then, guys. Let's go help him."

/-/-/-/-/

 _The Emperor's Dominion_

 _The corridor outside the Emperor's private chambers_

This, apparently, had been the Force tantrum to end all Force tantrums.

Darth Sidious found himself outside of his private chambers without any clear recollection of what, exactly, he had done. But his servants were almost catatonic with fear, and wailing alarms indicated some serious problem with his ship.

"What is the problem, Captain?" he demanded of the captain of the ship, who was openly shaking.

"There was a hull breach in your quarters, your Highness," the man babbled, "I am so thankful you are safe, your Majesty. The breach automatically sealed and technicians are on their way, my Master…"

Palpatine stalked slowly to the end of the hall, ignoring the rest of the man's incessant speech.

The window out into space faced where the Death Star had been a few minutes ago.

And now she was gone.

His Death Star had been destroyed.

By a 19 year old Tatooine farmboy, the son of Darth Vader. Of Anakin Skywalker.

20 years of secrecy and truly vast amounts of money, time, labor and diligence had all gone up in one tremendous explosion.

He blinked once or twice, half hoping that this was some horrible nightmare. But no, space was still filled with debris and the Death Star was gone, along with the many men he sent on board to reclaim her.

Filled with a fury beyond anything he had ever known, he reached out for that bright light, the young Skywalker. He was indeed still within his Force range. Rather odd, that, given that most of the Rebels, including the larger capital ship, had already gone into lightspeed.

For a moment, he considered trying to kill the boy from afar. Sidious probably wouldn't succeed, but right at this moment, he wanted the boy in agony, followed by dead.

But belatedly, his native caution and wiliness asserted themselves. The youth was still young and while obviously powerful in the Force, was not well trained. He could be taken and manipulated into a greater and better servant than his partially mechanized father.

Indeed, for all his power, Darth Vader had been rather a disappointment since he had been so foolish as to have 3 limbs hacked off on Mustafar. The man was, bluntly, a physical wreck, which somewhat hampered his usefulness.

And given how far his servant had fallen into the Light (apparently due to his doting attachment for his son), it would be the best revenge of all to take the younger Skywalker and twist him into the perfect servant.

Very well, he would leave Skywalker be.

And focus on his father. Speaking of that…

"Where is Vader?" he demanded of the agent who was hovering nervously at his elbow.

"Your Highness, Darth Vader has landed on the corvette _Disruptor_. Per your prior orders in the event of such a circumstance, the navigational instrumentation and weaponry controls have been destroyed, thus preventing the _Disruptor_ from going into lightspeed or defending herself. All ships capable of carrying Vader off the ship have either been utilized by troops on the _Disruptor_ , or destroyed. He is trapped on the corvette now. Two squadrons of special troops are on their way to the _Disruptor_ to engage Vader."

Palpatine's mouth creased into a vicious smile, "Good. Tell the special squadron commander that I want Vader alive. Not necessarily unharmed, not necessarily even in one piece, but alive. Is that clear?"

The agent bowed, "Yes, your Highness."

/-/-/-/-/

 _The Corvette Disruptor_

The path to the main control room of the _Disruptor_ had been surprisingly free of resistance. Vader sensed sentients on board, but they seemed more confused and frightened than hostile, and they were largely avoiding him. That was unsurprising, given that they apparently knew he was now opposed to the Emperor. He was injured, but they didn't know that. And his fearsome reputation preceded him.

Even given his exhaustion and personal damage, perhaps he could succeed in commandeering the Disruptor and go into hyperspace comparatively easily.

That bright hope faded as he entered the deserted control room. Small incendiaries had been placed around the room by the bridge crew before they retreated. The navigational controls and weapons instrumentation had been completely destroyed, though the ship's hull itself had not been breached.

Vader sighed deeply and tried to think what to do next. He didn't know why he was so exhausted, but everything seemed to be moving slowly. His mind, his body, even his mechanized heart beat seemed slower though of course it was not.

Perhaps it was that he had succeeded in his goal and now the future was opaque with confusion. He was no longer completely devoted to the Dark Side, but he wasn't a Light Sider either. His children and wife were safe with the Rebel Alliance, but where did he fit in? From the perspective of the Alliance and (if he were honest) most of the sentients in the galaxy, he was a butcher, a war criminal.

Perhaps dying here, now, was the will of the Force. He no longer felt the impassioned rage of the Dark Side which had sustained his broken body for so long. He could just fade away gently into this good night, confident that his family's future was safer due to his actions…

He stretched out a weary Force tendril, just to be sure that his children were well away.

The (former?) Sith Lord stiffened suddenly. Luke was nearby. Leia was nearby too! They were heading his way!

" _Luke, what are you doing?"_ he demanded through their bond, his fatigue temporarily forgotten.

" _Father, I know you are injured. I'm coming to help you_ ," his son responded promptly.

 _"_ _Luke, go! I am trapped here on this ship. There is no room in your X-wing for me, obviously. Go! Be safe!"_

" _Why don't you take one of these shuttles in the landing bay where you crashed? I'll cover for you once you are in space?"_ his son inquired.

Vader paused, forcing his mind to go back to the bay where his TIE had made its final, violent landing. There had been no other ships in the bay. (Which was odd, really, but he had been too distracted to think about it.)

" _What shuttles…?"_

The door to the control room of the _Disruptor_ suddenly opened and troops began pouring in, led by an icy faced Imperial officer.

"Lord Vader, you are under arrest by order of Emperor Palpatine. Drop your weapon and raise your hands slowly."

/-/-

 _Disruptor Landing Bay_

Luke sensed the sudden surge of … not exactly fear, but heightened focus and tension, in his father.

He closed his eyes and reached out. His own training wasn't advanced but he could sense through his father that Vader now had hostile company, and plenty of it.

He grasped his lightsaber and prepared to race to his father's assistance, though he wasn't sure he could help enough. (His father's words on the _Devastator_ came back to him – maybe it had been unwise to stop training on his lightsaber a few years ago. He definitely wasn't as good as he could have been.)

There was a loud noise behind him, and he turned to discover, to his incredulity, that the _Millennium Falcon_ was landing in the bay, which now contained his X-wing, the broken remains of Vader's TIE, and 2 Imperial shuttles. The bay floor was becoming quite full, but the pilot (Solo, he sensed) managed the landing with aplomb.

Within 30 seconds, the ramp was down and Leia was rushing to him, with Ben Kenobi and Solo at her heels.

"Father is in trouble in the command center!" Luke yelled at them, "I'm going to go help."

Leia, her eyes blazing with determination, hefted her blaster and said, "Well, we're coming too!"

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but she interrupted before he could say a word, "Don't even think about trying to stop me, Luke. I may not care about Vader as much as you do, but I am not going to let you take on highly trained Imperial troops without as much backup as possible!"

Luke shut his mouth and ran for the door to the landing bay.

" _Hang on, Father! We are coming!"_

/-/-/-

Vader instinctively dove for cover behind a console on the floor.

It wasn't very dignified, but he wasn't up to dealing with the Emperor's special forces right now without using every possible advantage available in the room.

He heard the officer command, "Remember, His Royal Highness wants the traitor Vader alive! Fire at the console but when it starts to fail, shift to stun shots."

Vader grimaced. So Palpatine wanted him alive. Not a pleasant thought _at all._

He glanced at his left arm, which was flopping uselessly. He could fight one handed and he was right hand dominant, but nevertheless the damage to his left arm would throw off his balance somewhat.

The console was starting to break up under the steady barrage of blaster fire.

Gathering himself now (he really couldn't afford to expire right now, given that his crazy twins were on the way) he suddenly leaped away from the console and directly engaged the troopers.

The thrill of battle, the adrenaline in what was left of his biological body, and the power of the Force surged through him. With an intense snarl, he threw himself into battle. The troopers had been trained to fight him and separated themselves into a wide circle, attempting to fire shots from so many positions that he wouldn't be able to deflect them all. One blast did break through his concentration but smashed into his already useless left hand.

No particular harm done there.

He sliced down the commander of the legion, peripherally aware of pleasure as that arrogant head fell off the body, and crashed to the floor. He saw another officer step up, his face focused with intense vitriol, prepared to lead the remaining troops against him.

Ten more troopers fell and he thought he was going to survive this, though he was tiring and still at least 2 dozen more troopers remained. He could sense more in the corridor outside as well, prepared to enter if necessary.

He turned to face a group which had congregated at the front viewscreen of the ship, on the far side of the room from the main door. They were trying to put together a larger weapon, one which would be more difficult for him to deflect.

And then suddenly, there was a surge of power from behind him, and his prosthetics abruptly failed. Stunned, he watched as his lightsaber fell out of his lifeless right hand, as his legs collapsed. The mechanized breathing which gave him life stuttered to a halt. He struggled to draw breath – he could feebly breathe for a few minutes before he would lose consciousness, and in spite of being willing to die, his body took over and forced him to try to live.

He was lying facedown on the floor. Beaten. Exhausted.

He heard hesitant steps approach him, and then many cruel hands turned him over.

"Yes, he's incapacitated," the new commander said with a sneer, "Start up his mechanized breathing again. The Emperor doesn't want him too damaged."

Incredulous, Vader watched as one of the aides reached over with an instrument, which kick started his mechanical lungs into functioning again.

He knew the commander couldn't see his face through the mask, but the man smirked unpleasantly as if sensing his amazement, "That's right, Lord Vader, we had a special method of taking you down. A weapon which aimed an electromagnetic pulse perfectly calibrated to interfere with your mechanized body. His Royal Majesty's gift to us. He looks forward to seeing you soon."

The commander turned to an aide, "Give him the Retolivan 96."

Vader tensed in horror. Retolivan 96 was a control drug, one which entered the bloodstream and would kill, painfully, within 8 hours unless an antidote was administered. But the antidote had to be given every 8 hours for the rest of the victim's life, or the victim would die in agony. It was an ideal way to prevent an important prisoner from escaping as the antidote was expensive and difficult to obtain.

The aide reached over with a large needle and prepared to bore it into Vader's shoulder where there was a tiny gap in his armor. Vader struggled to reach the Force, to push the needle away, but he was too exhausted by his injuries and the day's many ordeals. He felt the prick of the needle.

At that moment, the door slid open and two figures leaped through the door; one, an old man dressed in desert robes, the other a very young man dressed in the fluorescent orange of the Rebel Alliance. Both carried blue lightsabers which buzzed and dazzled and drew the attention of the men surrounding Vader.

The aide jerked in surprise and the needle pulled out of Vader's arm. Kenobi reached out with his left hand and the aide was suddenly hurled against a wall, to slide down with a wet thump.

Luke was deflecting bolts and killing troopers, even as Kenobi circled and danced around him, both destroying the enemy and protecting the son of his former best friend.

Vader lifted his head slightly and stared in amazement.

(Kenobi and Skywalker. Skywalker and Kenobi. During the Clone Wars, it had always been Kenobi and Skywalker…)

Small but gentle hands touched him.

His daughter Leia was there, "Are you all right?" she demanded, her eyes filled with worry.

"My arms, legs…I'm incapacitated. The aide over there… he has a device that will allow me to move…" his voice through the vocoder was weak.

Another form dropped down next to him, then grabbed him under the arms and dragged him, with difficulty, behind another console for more protection.

Vader was amazed. It was the Corellian pirate Han Solo. What did he think he was doing here?

Whatever his motivation, the man was both strong and a very good shot. Solo and Leia took turns ducking out from cover to kill more troopers, and after two more minutes, the Imperials were all dead.

The floor was covered with armored men, some with smoking blaster wounds, many chopped in half with lightsabers.

Luke and Obi-wan stepped quickly out of the room, no doubt ensuring that no more troops were approaching.

Leia hurried quickly over to the indicated dead aide and found the device Vader needed, then rushed back.

"Do you know how to use it?" she asked anxiously.

Vader relaxed and focused. These few minutes of normal breathing had allowed him to gather enough Force strength that he was able to take the device gently from his daughter, and apply it to his limbs.

They turned back on, all except for the useless left arm.

He staggered to his feet, grateful for the help of both the Corellian and his precious daughter.

"Father, are you all right?" Luke demanded, rushing back in and over to him.

"Yes, my son…wait, are you injured?" Vader demanded.

Luke was bleeding slightly on his right arm.

Luke looked embarrassed, "I got winged by one of the troopers but I'm totally fine, Father. Are you able to walk? The _Millennium Falcon_ is in the main hanger bay. Can you make it that far?"

Vader sighed deeply. He didn't have much choice, did he? Not after his old master and enemy, and his precious twins, and a random Corellian smuggler had risked their very lives to free him.

"Let us go," he said.

 _Author Note: Guys, thanks again so much for the reviews and follows. It is so encouraging._

 _And thanks again to my wonderful husband who keeps finding my errors._


	21. Chapter 21

_Imperial Corvette Disruptor_

Obi-wan Kenobi jumped forward with his lightsaber, and deflected a blaster bolt back into the hapless stormtrooper who had fired it. The man fell without a cry. Kenobi stretched out his Force sense and found no additional hostiles close by.

The retreat back to the landing bay of the _Disruptor_ had been relatively peaceful, as the majority of men on board seemed disinclined to confront Darth Vader regardless of his level of disability. Kenobi was thankful that he only had to deal with periodic attacks from one or two men at a time, not a concerted effort on the part of the remaining Imperial troops.

Kenobi was feeling his age. This entire fight was stressful on so many levels.

How had he ended up here? He was supposed to protect the Skywalker twins, not let them dragoon him into mounting an insane rescue mission for their Sith Lord father!

With a sigh, he glanced at the Sith Lord in question. Vader (Anakin?) was definitely not doing well. He had seemed unsteady back in the control room, and now he was positively lurching along. Still on his feet, yes, but fading quickly. He had obviously sustained significant injuries during the battles of this day. Furthermore, Kenobi knew that Vader had been injected with some drug – no doubt something vile given Palpatine's predilection for such things. He briefly touched the left pocket of his robe. He had broken off the needle and closed off the vial so that it could be given to a medic. Perhaps whatever it was had an antidote. And thankfully, most of the liquid in the vial was still there, so Vader hadn't gotten much of it. Whatever it was.

At that moment, Vader stumbled. Luke, who was obviously already bonded to his sire, had moved to his father's side before the misstep and put a determined and wiry arm around his father's body, trying to support him.

Leia moved to Dark Lord's other side. Kenobi shook his head slightly with both amusement and dismay. The children were so short compared to their father that it seemed a hopeless case for them to actually support the giant mechanical body but actually…Kenobi frowned…they weren't doing a terrible job. Both were stronger than they looked.

Which was to be expected of the twin children of Anakin Skywalker.

Vader didn't seem to agree though.

"My children, I am slowing you down too much," he gasped, "Please, leave me. Save yourselves."

Leia unleased her most ferocious scowl, though it was unlikely her father could see it, "Don't be ridiculous. We're not far from the _Millennium Falcon_ and we're definitely not leaving you here."

Kenobi hesitated. He could try to pick Vader up with the Force, but he was tired and couldn't possibly protect the group and carry Vader at the same time. And carrying a sentient with the Force was somewhat challenging, especially when the individual was already injured. It was all too easy to clasp the person too tightly, causing further damage.

Solo suddenly spoke up, "Wait, I've got an idea."

/-/-/

 _Emperor's Dominion_

 _Main Command Center_

From Darth Sidious's perspective, this day was not improving.

He was beyond angry now. Beyond furious. Beyond incandescent with rage.

Back in the days of the Old Republic, annoying things had happened frequently to him. He'd had _practice_ coping with internal irritation when the Senate did something stupid, when Senators Amidala and Mothma muttered on and on about _democracy_ and _justice_ , when the Jedi had pontificated about the Light Side of the Force and service to all.

He'd been used to it back then. He'd built up an outer shell of charm and diplomacy while stewing in anticipatory rage over his plans to destroy the Republic and create the Empire, with himself at its head.

He had to admit he'd gotten rather soft in that respect. It had been at least 15 years since anything really enraging had happened to him. The Jedi had fallen. Anakin Skywalker had fallen (to the Dark Side.) The Death Star had been built. The Rebel Alliance had even proven a lovely excuse for building up his military to its current levels.

All had seemed entirely right in the galaxy until a few short weeks ago, when his previously loyal servant had gone completely to the shaaks.

And over a son. Over a pathetic, 19 year old, farmboy.

And to add a major insult to the injury of losing the Death Star, the attempt to capture Vader had been a near fiasco.

Palpatine had watched with admittedly some trepidation when his special troops had broken into the command center of the _Disruptor_ and attacked Lord Vader. The video feed had been from a holocam mounted on one of his men; indeed, this particular aide had been tasked with injecting Retolivan 96 into Vader after he was disabled.

The Emperor knew his (former) apprentice to be a powerhouse in the Force and though he sensed the man was injured, Sidious wasn't confident that his own troops would prevail.

But all had worked beautifully. His trained men had distracted Vader from the doorway, which had allowed a perfect shot with the electromagnetic pulse device. He had kept a slew of them on hand for some time now, ready for the day when his apprentice would seek to overthrow him. They had been carefully calibrated based on the mechanics of the suit, the suit that Sidious himself had put the former Anakin Skywalker into 19 years ago.

The aide was just injecting Retolivan 96 into Vader when the door had burst open and that blond guttersnipe had torn in, waving his lightsaber around with only moderate skill. But then that old man, Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi, had stormed in as well, plus the irritating Princess of Alderaan (accompanied by a requisite thug) and the aide had been incapacitated almost immediately, knocking out the video feed.

He could sense through the Force that his former apprentice still lived, though the man was weakening rapidly. But the boy was a bright beacon, and Kenobi seemed to be positively blooming as the tides of the Force shifted irrevocably toward the Light.

Totally exasperating.

He couldn't afford to allow Vader to live, nor Kenobi. That was entirely too risky.

The boy would need to be sacrificed. A pity.

"Destroy the corvette _Disruptor_ ," he rasped.

"Yes, Your Highness."

/-/-/-/-

 _The Corvette Disruptor_

Vader clenched his teeth in exasperation. He was weakening more and more, unable to steadily put one foot in front of another even with the support of his children. And Obi-wan, who should have known better, was just going on with this ridiculous rescue attempt. Why didn't they leave him behind?

There was a sudden roar, and a gigantic Wookie suddenly appeared in his rather wavering vision. To his stunned amazement, the Wookie abruptly clasped large and hairy arms around his upper torso.

There was a confused babble and then he found himself, to his incredulous dismay, being carried rapidly down the corridor with the Wookie carrying his upper body and his twins carrying his legs.

Some small part of his mind, the part that was still Anakin Skywalker, laughed at the indignity of it all. The holonet tabloids would have had a field day with this holovid.

But he was fading, fading, fading. Fading from exhaustion, from his injuries, and from the small amount of Retolivan 96 which had been injected into his bloodstream.

The last thing he saw before he lapsed into unconsciousness was a ramp leading up into the battered hull of the _Millennium Falcon_.

/-/-/-

The _Disruptor_ rocked under external fire.

"What's going on?" Luke demanded, panting heavily as he helped carry his father up the ramp of the Falcon.

"Palpatine has no doubt ordered the destruction of the _Disruptor_ ," Obi-wan shouted, "We need to leave now!"

"We're already gone," Solo shouted as he ran for the controls of the ship. Obi-wan followed him, uncomfortably aware that he couldn't do much. Flying unknown ships was Anakin's gift, not his. But just in case Solo needed another pair of hands…

Chewie, Luke, and Leia successfully hauled Vader's now unconscious body into the main lounge of the Falcon. With a grunt, Chewie laid him gently on the floor, as there was no bed large enough for the giant Sith Lord, and then ran off to assist Solo.

"I think he's unconscious," Leia said worriedly.

Luke nodded, "He is. I don't know what is wrong, but he's obviously injured."

"Should we remove his mask?" Leia asked doubtfully, "I know Han has some oxygen among his medical supplies."

(Han? Hmmmm, Leia had obviously moved past the 'Captain Solo' phase of their relationship.)

Luke forced himself to focus on the matter at hand, and considered for a long moment.

"No," he said finally, "I don't think we dare try to take off his mask or do anything specific for him. His medical issues are so complex. I am going to try to link with him through the Force and if I can help him, I will. So don't worry if I get a little weird."

Leia smiled slightly in an effort to relieve the tension, "You are always a little weird, big brother. Ok, go ahead. But don't get so deep that you can't pull yourself out."

Luke nodded and lay down next to his father, putting a hand on one prosthetic arm. He closed his eyes, and sank deeply into the Force.

In the cockpit, Solo had the engines up and the ship lifting from the hanger bay even as the _Disruptor_ rumbled more under external Star Destroyer fire. Kenobi felt the terror of the men trapped behind on the ship, but there was nothing he could do about them.

If they survived this themselves, they would be doing extraordinarily well.

The landing bay floor disintegrated just as the _Falcon_ burst from the bay opening.

"How are the shields, Chewie?" Han snapped at his Wookie copilot, who had joined them.

The accompanying roar was apparently positive, as Solo replied, "Good!"

"Better hold on, old man," he added, "This is going to be a bumpy ride."

Kenobi nodded and quickly headed for the lounge. He could do more good now helping the Skywalker clan.

He found Vader and Luke lying on the floor next to each other, Vader clearly unconscious, with Luke in deep meditation. He sensed the bond between the two, and that the younger man was pouring his love and strength and healing presence into the battered body of the former Anakin Skywalker.

Or perhaps the present Anakin Skywalker? His old friend was changing so fast that perhaps … perhaps he was truly back into the Light.

The old Jedi grandmaster Yoda would say that was impossible, that a Sith could not come back, but Kenobi was inclined to think he was wrong. The power of love and compassion and grace could, apparently, break into the darkest heart.

Leia spoke in a hushed tone even as the _Falcon_ rocked dramatically under them, causing them all to shift toward the back wall of the ship.

"Do you think this is safe for Luke?" she demanded worriedly.

Kenobi knelt down and closed his eyes, ignoring the buffeting of the ship from the blasts raining on them from outside in space.

Luke was so strong. Not well trained yet, but he was as much a powerhouse as his father. Obi-wan had never felt the young man's raw potential so intensely.

He opened his eyes, "Luke is fine, Leia. Don't be alarmed for him. Vader is very weak and struggling. He was injected with something before we rescued him. Possibly a poison, possibly some kind of control drug. I have the vial so we can give it to our medical staff when we arrive at the _Liberty_."

Leia sighed and put what could be construed as an affectionate hand on Vader's other arm, "I only hope we're in time. Vader is very important to Luke. And Mother."

( _And you?_ Obi-wan wondered.)

The _Millennium Falcon_ gave one final lurch, and then the occupants of the lounge felt the ship make the leap into hyperspace.

They had made it.

/-/-/-/

 _Emperor's Dominion_

"Order this ship and the Imperial Fleet back to Imperial Center, _Admiral_ Zutar," Palpatine hissed.

The new Admiral Zutar carefully stepped around the bodies of his three former superiors and, after nervously clearing his throat, began giving orders to the Fleet.

The Emperor cast a last disdainful look at the smoking bodies of the three command staff and stalked angrily off to his temporary, though thoroughly luxurious, quarters.

Killing his men with Force lightening had reduced some of his ire, and he was able to think more clearly now.

So, Vader had escaped, _and_ Kenobi, _and_ the young Skywalker.

The Death Star was destroyed.

Sidious's hands tightened into claws. This would send a shock wave throughout the galaxy, there was no doubt. He would need to discuss this with his propaganda staff as soon as possible to mitigate the effects of Vader's treachery and the Death Star's destruction.

Given the battle station's fate, perhaps it was best that Alderaan had not been destroyed. There was no direct evidence that the Death Star had been a planet killing machine. With proper massaging of information, the galactic trillions could largely be convinced that she was an agricultural station, or a medical station, or something benign and beautiful. And the evil Rebel Alliance had ruthlessly destroyed it, and its million occupants too.

Well, that wouldn't work since most of the million had been evacuated to Krylon. Because Vader didn't want to kill the men before destroying the Death Star? What had happened to the man? He had been brutal, ruthless, hard hearted, cruel – the sort of apprentice Sidious could be proud of. And now? Weak, compassionate, caring, even loving.

It was enough to make him nauseous.

Or perhaps the nausea was from the poor handling of the _Emperor's Dominion_ as the ship prepared to go into lightspeed. There were several awkward jerks and Palpatine had to use the Force to stay steadily on his feet.

He was tempted to reach into the command center and kill the pilots from afar, but that would probably result in even more incompetence. His men were definitely spooked.

With a muted sigh, the Emperor entered his quarters and sat down on his luxurious bed.

This day had been so exasperating that sleep seemed rather appealing now.

He pulled the covers back and rolled into bed.

However, for a long time, he lay flat on his bed and stared at the ceiling, seething silently.

Someone would pay for this.

/-/-/-/

 _Millennium Falcon_

"Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh Princess?" Solo said as he swaggered out of the cockpit, "You know sometimes I amaze even myself."

Kenobi chuckled softly to himself even as he carefully wrapped Luke's injured arm with gauze. Luke was still in a hibernation trance so didn't notice. Fortunately, the blaster shot had indeed merely grazed the youth, and it would heal quickly.

"That doesn't sound too hard, Captain," Leia said as she stood up, "You appear to have such a good opinion of yourself that I'm sure you 'amaze yourself', as you put it, all too frequently."

Kenobi interrupted before the tiff could escalate.

"We are deeply appreciative of all you have done, Captain Solo," he said genuinely, "And we are most grateful to Chewbacca as well. Where are we headed?"

"Back to Yavin…and before you say anything, I didn't set our course straight to Yavin. We'll drop out of hyperspace and set a new course in about 2 hours. We'll be there in less than 6 hours."

"Good," Kenobi said, and looking down at Vader and Luke, added, "I only hope we're not too late."

"What's wrong with him?" Solo inquired.

"We're not sure," Leia said gravely, "He was injected with something just before we burst into the room. Obi-wan has the vial and we hope there will be an antidote."

"And what about the Kid? Is he all right?"

"He's assisting his father," Kenobi explained, "They have a strong Force bond and Luke is pouring his own strength into Vader."

Han Solo stared at them, a frown gathering between his eyebrows. Finally he said, "I'm just going to say it. In a career that has brought me back and forth across the galaxy at least 50 times, you are the strangest family I've ever come across."

Leia sighed, "You're not wrong."


	22. Chapter 22

_The_ Liberty _, in orbit around Yavin IV_

 _6 hours later_

Luke Skywalker was vaguely aware of someone gently poking him in the Force.

"Ben?"

Blearily, groggily, he pulled himself out of his Jedi trance and struggled to come to the surface.

He opened his eyes to a remarkable scene. The lounge of the _Millennium Falcon_ was filled with General Rieekan, a group of large and tough human soldiers, and of course Kenobi, Leia, Solo, and Chewbacca. With a slight groan, he sat up and passed a hand across his face. He was tired. However, Luke was thankful he had been available to help his father survive the last few hours until they reached…safety?

Belatedly, he noticed the mixture of horror and fear emanating from many of the men surrounding him.

Of course, the Rebels hated Vader, and were terrified of him.

Luke lurched unsteadily to his feet, helped by his sister's gentle hands.

General Rieekan stepped forward, his emotions ricocheting between gratitude and unease, "Skywalker, I congratulate and thank you for your courageous and brilliant shot that destroyed the Death Star. All who were in danger from that genocidal battle station have cause to be grateful to you."

"General," Luke replied firmly, "I appreciate your gratitude. I am more concerned with my father, however. He is badly injured and needs immediate medical attention."

There was a hesitant pause, which was interrupted by Obi-wan Kenobi, "General, I realize that this situation is complex given that Vader was the former second-in-command of the Empire. I assure you, however, that we have every reason to be grateful to him for the destruction of the Death Star. He brought the battle station to Krylon so that we could destroy it, and he put himself in tremendous danger in order to allow Luke to make that shot. Saving him is the morally correct action."

Rieekan avoided Luke's eyes as he said, "I'm afraid I am not convinced of that, General Kenobi. Darth Vader has a fearsome reputation and by all that is rational and right, he is guilty of war crimes. Furthermore, given his impressive Force powers, we can't possibly keep him secure if he should choose to attack us."

"Attack you?" Luke demanded indignantly, "He is unconscious and dying! Are you seriously going to deny a expiring man necessary medical aid? How does that make you any different than the Empire?"

"General Rieekan!" Leia suddenly said in her most regal tone.

Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"You will provide medical support to Lord Vader now," she continued, meeting Rieekan's eyes directly.

There was a pause, and Rieekan bowed his head to her slightly, "As you wish, your Highness."

Luke looked at his sister in surprise. Her face was pale and he sensed her discomfort at having 'pulled rank' on her parents' old friend. He smiled at her and sent a wave of love and gratitude to his twin. Leia had done it for his sake, and Padme's sake.

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity, as a group of Alliance techs came with a large hoverbed. Vader was carefully lifted onto it and the hoverbed was guided down the ramp into the landing bay, flanked by the Alliance soldiers.

The bay was its own special brand of confusion. Many Alliance troops were gathered and there were hushed murmurs of horror, fear, and anger as Vader's large, unconscious form was directed down the ramp and toward the main medical area of the _Liberty_. But when Luke appeared behind him, the murmurs changed to shouts of congratulation and joy.

As soon as he reached the bottom of the ramp, Luke found himself mobbed by a group of enthusiastic Rebels, all focused on pummeling him, slapping him on the back, or loudly proclaiming their desire to pour alcoholic drinks down his throat.

Luke needed to stay with his father, plus he found this reception quite overwhelming. He shot an overwrought look at his sister, who stepped boldly into the breach.

"Gentlemen, and…pilots!" she called loudly, to a chorus of hoots and smiles, "I want to introduce you to Captain Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookie, who courageously left the _Liberty_ during the Death Star battle to shoot many TIEs off of Skywalker's tail. If they hadn't interfered, Skywalker would be dead and the Death Star still intact. Please give Captain Solo a warm welcome to the Rebel Alliance!"

The crush of bodies rolled like a wave over to Solo, who stood at the base of the Falcon's ramp, looking bewildered. When, however, one of the pilots pressed a bottle of something clearly alcoholic into his hand, his expression brightened considerably. A few of the smaller pilots began trying to climb up Chewbacca, and Luke realized at least some of them were slightly inebriated.

Thankfully, the Wookie took all the insane celebration with good grace.

More to the point, Luke was able to quietly slip away towards his father's medical bay.

/-/-/-

 _Liberty's Main Medical Bay_

Doctor Sert held out a hand and shook it with the webbed one of Doctor Klantu, a Mon Calamari who was the _Liberty_ 's main doctor.

The last few days had felt remarkably like a vacation to both Sert and Medic Fentesto. They had been given simple but comfortable quarters adjacent to those of Padme Naberrie Skywalker, and had merely been required to check in on her several times a day. Her health continued to be stable, and overall her mental acuity had improved.

To his surprise, Sert had found himself quite comfortable with the Rebels with whom he interacted. While there were no doubt a fair share of braggarts and thugs in the Rebel Forces, most of the men and aliens he met had been courteous. He had even been privileged to meet with some of the medical staff and droids, and had enjoyed a few pleasant exchanges of medical information. There had, of course, been the requisite cheerful jabs by the Rebel Forces at some of the Empire's rigid medical protocols, and he had himself expressed dismay at the casual substitution of medication when a primary drug was unavailable

He hadn't even been aware of the _Liberty_ 's journey to Krylon, and the subsequent destruction of the Death Star, until he heard a roar of excitement from Rebel crewmembers.

A careful inquiry had yielded the truth. Both Sert and Fentesto were horrified at the loss of life, only to be informed that the Death Star had been almost completely evacuated before its destruction at Lord Vader's command. After that, Sert was completely at peace. That technological terror was far better off gone.

But alas, all restful times must come to an end. A mere thirty minutes ago, he had been summoned to the main medical bay to assist with the treatment of a captured Imperial.

And now he waited with Medic Fentesto and the Rebel doctor, wondering uneasily who had been captured and what his condition was. Furthermore, he was torn between his clear duty to assist any individual needing medical help and his concern that whoever he (or possibly she) was, death might be preferable to interrogation.

The door to medical bay opened, and Sert's breath caught in his throat as the large form of Darth Vader was guided in on a giant hoverbed.

Doctor Klantu stepped forward, his Mon Calamari face calm. Sert guessed he had previously known the identity of the patient, but it was hard to be certain as he had a difficult time reading the alien's face.

"What is his condition?" Klantu inquired, even as he placed a gentle webbed hand on Vader's chest.

The old man whom Sert had seen on the Death Star (Kenobi, his name was) had entered behind Vader, along with a number of guards and, to Sert's intense relief, Vader's son, Luke Skywalker.

Skywalker spoke up with obvious agitation, "He has unknown injuries, Doctors. He crashed his TIE Advanced into the landing bay floor of the Corvette _Disruptor_ and obviously sustained damage during that incident. He was then attacked by a group of Imperial troops and knocked down by some energy wave. A group of us rushed in and rescued him, but he was injected with something, though he didn't receive the full dose. He lost consciousness 10 minutes after we freed him."

Doctor Klantu nodded calmly, "Do you know what he was injected with?"

Kenobi stepped forward and held out a syringe, which was mostly full of a blueish liquid.

The Mon Calamari doctor took it from his hand and held it out to a medical droid hovering nearby, "Do a thorough analysis of this immediately."

Doctor Sert spoke up hesitantly, "If I may, do you believe that the troops were bent on capturing Lord Vader alive?"

Kenobi turned to him appraisingly, "Yes, Doctor, it was definitely an attempt to capture Vader, not kill him. Do you have any ideas what it might be?"

"Probably a control drug, then," Sert said firmly. He hesitated, and then pulled the code cylinder out of his breast pocket, "I would be glad to work with your medical droid to determine what it is. It quite possibly is one of the Retolivan drugs, which require an antidote within 8 hours of injection or the subject will die."

He regretted that immediately, as Vader's son paled. To his relief, Kenobi placed a gentle hand on the youth's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Luke. You've helped stabilize him through the Force the last few hours, and he didn't get nearly a full dose. Let's just see what the doctors say."

He turned to Sert and asked, "If I may, Doctor Sert, did you ever treat Lord Vader personally? We are unaware of his particular medical issues except that I know he was badly burned 19 years ago."

Sert shook his head, "Lord Vader almost exclusively utilized medical droids, and I interacted with him only as a subordinate, not in a professional medical capacity. I am sorry."

Kenobi looked disappointed but nodded.

The Mon Cal doctor spoke up, "Then if you will, Doctor Sert, please accompany our medical droid to see if we can determine the nature of the injected drug."

/-/-/-/-

 _Main hanger bay of the_ Liberty

 _1 hour later_

Leia Organa stood next to the _Millennium Falcon_ and cautiously lifted a small tumbler of pink liquid to her lips. One sip told her that no, this drink wasn't going to work for her. She had asked for non-alcoholic and received it, but this beverage had a faint taste of seaweed and that wasn't very appetizing.

She looked around with amusement at the relatively peaceful revelry around her. There would be a formal celebration later to honor those who destroyed the Death Star, but for now the pilots and crews available were chattering and even dancing around on the floor, while a solemn coterie of Mon Calamari crewmen from the _Liberty_ stood around cleaning up messes and bringing in new snacks and beverages on floating tables. She felt slightly guilty that the humans were eating and making messes and the Mon Calamari were forced to act as hosts, but she knew that the Mon Calamari believed that guests were to be "jewels on a bed of hospitality", as it was put in one of her diplomacy manuals.

The Mon Calamari had suffered greatly under the Empire, and the destruction of the Death Star was a major victory. They would no doubt carry out their own party later, in traditional Mon Calamari fashion. Whatever that was.

Leia suddenly heard her father's beloved voice cry out, "Leia!"

She turned around and threw herself into his arms, while reaching out a hand to Breha Organa, who was right behind Bail.

Bail whispered in her ear with a mixture of relief and frustration, "Leia, how could you have taken off in that crate without telling us? You frightened us nearly to death!"

Leia released her father and hugged her mom, smiling slightly. For all that she was a grown up 19 year old and a Senator, her parents still thought of her as their little girl. Sometimes it was frustrating. Today, it felt rather nice.

"Mother, Father, I realize it was rather alarming, but it was necessary. Luke - Skywalker was in great danger."

She hesitated to say more in a public place, so merely continued with, "I really need to check on Skywalker, as he was injured slightly during the battle. Would you care to accompany me?"

Her parents nodded at her understandingly, and Leia turned and waved an imperious arm, catching Solo's attention.

"Captain! I need to leave now. Thank you again for your service to the Alliance."

"It was my honor, your Highness," Solo said in a melodramatic tone, even as he drained his glass and choked slightly on it. The Wookie chuffed in amusement while slapping his captain on the back.

Leia grinned at both of them, and then strode for the door with her parents in tow.

/-/-/-/-

 _Medical Bay, the_ Liberty

 _Private ward set aside for Darth Vader_

Luke stared through a transparisteel pane into the intensive care unit where his father was lying, unconscious, on an extra large bed.

His eyes fixed intently on a medical droid as its appendages carefully removed Darth Vader's helmet and rapidly placed an oxygen mask over the Sith Lord's mouth and nose.

Luke took a gasping breath at the sight. His father's face, while obviously human, was intensely scarred by fire, and pasty white after decades hidden from the sun. He had no hair at all; the fires of Mustafar had destroyed every follicle on his head.

His gaze drifted down to his father's form. Given the injuries to his father's head, Luke shuddered to think what was under that fearsome black armor. The breathing assistance meant that at least his father's lungs were badly compromised.

The door into the observation ward opened and Leia appeared.

"Can you come out for a conference, please? They've identified the toxin given to Vader.

/-/-/

 _Medical conference room_

Doctor Sert glanced around at the assembled individuals. Bail, Breha, and Leia Organa were present, along with Luke Skywalker, the Mon Calamari Doctor Klantu, Obi-wan Kenobi, two Rebel generals, and two medical droids.

Medic Fentesto stood behind him and to the right, ready to assist him as necessary. Fentesto had so much experience that despite his lack of technical qualifications, he was often able to suggest treatment when the younger doctors were stumped.

Sert spoke abruptly, "The toxin injected into Lord Vader is Retolivan 96. It is a control drug, injected into a prisoner to keep the individual from successfully escaping and surviving. In essence, the formulary has two functions. The first is that it introduces a mutated bacteria known as 265AT into the bloodstream of the victim, a bacteria which is sensitive to only one expensive antibiotic. The second function is that it represses the white blood cell production of the victim. That is necessary because for all that the bacteria is resistant to most antibiotics, it can easily be destroyed by most human's white blood cell immune system. Thus, the bacteria is relatively harmless to those with fully functional immune systems."

Breha Organa broke in, "So Lord Vader might be all right, then? He didn't get a full dose, correct?"

Sert glanced at Medic Fentesto, who said, "We estimate that he only got 1/10th of a dose, that's correct. So he only got a tenth of the bacterial load, and a tenth of the immunosuppressant chemical."

Skywalker glanced back and forth between the two Imperial medical staff, then focused in on Sert, "Doctor, I sense you are not as optimistic as I would hope given that information."

Doctor Sert stepped forward slightly and focused in on the Dark Lord's son, "That is correct. Doctor Klantu and I spent some time going over Lord Vader's current medical issues. His left arm was injured, not just the prosthetic but the remains of his biological arm as well. This probably occurred during his TIE crash. His body is thus under stress. Of greater concern is that his immune system is gravely compromised, and we assume that this is due to his massive injuries from burns 19 years ago. His suit provides injections of various medications to maintain his medical stability."

Sert turned and glanced at Fentesto, who nodded encouragingly. He looked back to Skywalker, "In essence, Skywalker, your father is a medically fragile man, which probably comes as a surprise to most. It is astonishing he has lived as long as he has in that suit given the obviously grave injuries from 2 decades ago. While most humans could easily fight off a tenth of a dose of the bacterium 265AT, your father's white blood count is far below normal levels. As the bacterium multiplies, it will begin to overwhelm your father's body unless he can fight it off. It is hard to know how your father will react, but I am not optimistic."

"If we can get enough of this esoteric antibiotic, we can give it to him, correct?" Leia Organa asked. She sounded quite anxious, which seemed odd for the princess of Alderaan.

Sert hesitated and said, "When 265AT is injected at full dosage, the antibiotic necessary to kill it all would kill the patient as well, due to side effects. Right now, if we had the antibiotic, we could probably destroy enough of the bacterium to save Lord Vader's life. But we do not have that antibiotic and by the time we arranged to collect some, I'm afraid Lord Vader's body would be overrun."

There was a solemn pause. Luke Skywalker looked distressed, and Sert noticed the other high level Rebels gazing at him with pity in their eyes.

They were quite a compassionate bunch, these Rebels.

Sert liked that.

"So we just have to hope that my father can fight it off?" Skywalker finally said softly.

Sert nodded solemnly, "I'm afraid so."

He hesitated, then added, "Your father would benefit tremendously from an infusion of compatible bone marrow, but we checked you when your blaster wound was being treated, and you are regrettably not a suitable donor.

Skywalker blinked and leaned forward, "Could someone else in the Fleet donate?"

"It is most unlikely that someone could be found quickly, I'm afraid. A near relative is his best chance, so you were our highest hope in finding a donor."

There was a bizarre pause. The Rebel Generals looked somewhat relieved, which wasn't surprising. If Darth Vader were to expire peacefully, that would no doubt simplify their lives considerably.

But Skywalker, Kenobi, and the Organas all stiffened and Sert had the strange sense of silent communication passing between them.

After a long minute, Skywalker spoke heavily, "Thank you very much for your information and treatment of my father, Doctors. I realize that his is a difficult case, and I am glad to know what the situation is and that he is receiving the best medical care."

Doctor Sert nodded, relieved. Given that Skywalker was Vader's son, a tantrum had been a possibility – though the young man didn't seem prone to tantrums.

"It is my hon…" he began.

Leia Organa suddenly interrupted him, "Doctor, check me to see if I'm a bone marrow match for Lord Vader."

The elder Organas jerked in alarm, and Breha Organa cried, "Leia!"

"For Luke," she said firmly, with a smile at Skywalker, "And Padme. I couldn't live with myself if it turned out I could save him."

Doctor Sert's eyes widened and he stared in bewilderment at the Princess of Alderaan, "Your Highness, that is kind of you, but I assure you the chances of your being a match to Lord Vader are nearly infinitesimal. As I said, a close family member was his best chance."

Leia Organa's chin lifted and she looked challengingly at the two Rebel Generals, "Well, that's why I'm volunteering to be checked. I'm adopted, and Lord Vader is my biological sire. I'm Luke's twin sister."

 _Author Notes:_

 _A couple things. First, most people don't know that Luke is Vader's son, which is why they were so accepting of him in the Liberty's main bay._

 _Second, the "jewels on a bed of hospitality" is taken from the Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout._

 _Third, thank you for your kind reviews and follows!_

 _Fourth, thanks again to my husband who keeps doing a wonderful job editing this fanfic._


	23. Chapter 23

_The_ Liberty

 _Medical bay conference room_

"Well, that's why I'm volunteering to be checked. I'm adopted, and Lord Vader is my biological sire. I'm Luke's twin sister."

Leia's gaze moved nervously to meet that of Rebel General Carlist Rieekan. Rieekan wasn't just a fellow Alderaanian; he was a good friend of her family and in some ways acted as a benevolent adopted uncle. (Adopted uncle. That was funny. Adoption is what had gotten her into this crazy situation! Not that the alternative, being raised by Vader, was in any way preferable.)

Rieekan gazed back at her, not with the dismay or horror that she dreaded, but with the vacant stare of a poleaxed bantha.

Leia brow crinkled in concern. Was he even breathing?

A long minute passed in silence.

"Carlist, Carlist!" Bail said suddenly, waving a hand in front of Rieekan's face, "Are you all right?"

Dodonna opened his mouth and then shut it, apparently deciding to hold his counsel at least for the moment.

Rieekan took a shuddering breath, "What?"

Breha reached forward a gentle hand, "Leia is biologically the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie Skywalker, Carlist. Right after Luke and Leia were born…"

"Leia is Vader's daughter?" Rieekan interrupted, obviously too amazed to consider protocol with his lieges.

"No, Carlist," Bail said firmly, "She is our daughter _. Our_ daughter. I took her in my arms within minutes of her birth and Breha and I claimed her as our own. Padme was terribly ill from the events surrounding the twins' birth…"

"The fact remains," Dodonna interrupted, without hesitation, "That you raised the biological offspring of Darth Vader as the heir to the throne of Alderaan. How could you have done that? This is no aspersion against Leia, per se, but you must have realized that the political fallout would be dire if it leaked out…"

"Why should it matter?" Breha demanded angrily, and actually pounded her hand on the table, "Leia has fought for freedom, like her biological mother Padme, since she was but a child. The reality of her biological origins should be of no importance considering…"

Leia's eyes widened as the tempest rose between these elder statesmen of the Rebel Alliance.

She 'heard' a tap in her mind, and looked at her brother.

" _Let's get out of here."_

She hesitated, and he stood up, grabbed her with one hand and Doctor Sert with the other, and physically pushed them toward one of the medical room doors.

She vaguely noticed the other medical personnel following her.

Once the door slid shut behind them, Luke collapsed into semi-hysterical laughter.

Leia put her hands on her hips and glared at her twin, "It is not funny!"

"Leia, it _is_ funny. That look on Rieekan's face - and listen to them in there."

There were the raised voices coming from next door.

"Issues of succession…"

"Now let's stay calm about this…"

"Calm? Kenobi, this entire mess is your fault. You had the responsibility of watching over Skywalker's children and…"

"Leia was the best thing that ever happened to us, General Dodonna. Don't you dare suggest that it was a mistake to adopt her…"

Leia suddenly chuckled, "You're right, they aren't being very calm and dignified, are they?"

She turned to the doctors, "Can you check me to see if I'm a match now?"

Doctor Klantu nodded and gestured for her to sit down on a patient table. He carefully wrapped a rubber bandage around her right arm and proceeded to aim the needle at the vein in her elbow.

She looked away. She had never been very fond of needles, and after the Death Star she liked them even less.

Sert moved forward, looking slightly shell shocked, but managed a comforting, "This will be quick, your Highness, I assure you."

She smiled at him, "Doctor, I am sure all this is a surprise to you as well. I know I've not thanked you for caring for my mother Padme. You've been a tremendous help to her, and both my brother and I have been greatly comforted knowing that she was in safe medical hands."

"It has been my honor to serve her, your Highness. She is a very special woman, with, may I say, two very special children," he responded.

Leia looked back over at Doctor Klantu to discover that the vial was already full of her blood and in the hands of Medic Fentesto.

Doctor Sert said, "We'll run the test now. We'll know in a few minutes."

Leia nodded, then glanced at Luke, who was closing down his com.

"Who was that?" she asked, seeing Luke frowning slightly.

"Aunt Beru. She said Mother is quite distressed and that it would be best if we saw her. She seems to be worried about us."

Leia rolled her eyes, "If she was able to comprehend the crazy things you and I have been doing, brother dear, she would have every reason to be worried about us. When you think about it, it was more or less insane letting an extremely inexperienced pilot try to blow up the Death Star."

Luke grinned back, "For that matter, jumping onto a decrepit freighter with a Corellian pirate and flying into a major space battle isn't the galaxy's safest thing either."

She smiled back at her twin. It was odd how they completed each other. She had felt comfortable and secure in her role as Princess of Alderaan. But for all that she had loved and appreciated her family and life, something had always been missing. _Someone_ had been missing.

One night, when she was 16, her father Bail had pulled her aside and solemnly told her the truth about Luke, about Vader, about Padme.

The news about Vader had enraged her. The knowledge of Padme's brain injury broke her heart. But Luke – Luke had filled her with joy. Once she met him, she finally felt whole.

They were two very different people, and they could and did operate competently when apart. But she felt more solid, more real even, when she was with her brother. It was an odd thing. A twin thing. Perhaps a Force thing.

The door opened, breaking into Leia's thoughts. She stood up in delight as her mother Padme entered the room with Beru Lars behind her.

"Hello, Mother," she said cheerfully, and then was distracted by a look of shock on her brother's face.

"Luke, is something wrong?" she asked tentatively.

Luke stood up and gave his mother a careful and affectionate hug, "Mother dear, did you really have to have an 'awakening' today of all days?"

Leia's mouth dropped open, "Mother, are you …"

"Yes, my love, I am," Padme said with a brilliant smile, as she stepped forward and enveloped her in a joyful hug. She stepped back and looked at Leia lovingly before saying, "I know we've 'met' many times but I don't remember them all that well. My dear, I am so proud of you both. So proud. My last really distinct memory of you is when you were born, Leia. And now you are so grown up and beautiful, a brave fighter for freedom. Given …well, how difficult your entrance to the world was, I am amazed, honored and proud of the woman you have become."

Leia's eyes filled with startled tears. Bail and Breha were her parents and she had known from her earliest days that she was loved unconditionally. She had assumed she would never hear such clear words of blessing from Padme. This was truly an amazing day.

Luke was still broadcasting unease, and Leia shot a puzzled look at him. Why was her brother concerned about this awakening?

Padme turned away from Leia and now took a menacing step towards Luke.

"As for you, my darling son, I want to know what exactly you have been up to today. And don't try to fend me off like Beru has been doing. I am absolutely positive you've been doing something crazy and dangerous, just like your father did at your age. I'm not a Force user but I promise you I will know if you are prevaricating. Is that clear?"

Luke grimaced slightly and then chuckled, "Yes, Mother, totally clear."

"So," Padme continued briskly, taking a seat, "Tell me what you've been doing. Were you by any chance flying around during that space battle I keep hearing murmurings about?"

Leia chortled softly to herself. This was why Luke was nervous. Mother was obviously as strong willed as she was herself. She listened in amusement as Luke carefully but honestly described the day's events up to the point of the destruction of the Death Star, though Leia noted that he didn't mention anything about Vader's rescue. Padme looked more and more steely-eyed at the risks Luke had taken, but in the end she stood up and gave her son a kiss on the head.

"You know I'm proud of you, Luke. It was the right thing to do. I'm glad that I didn't know anything about it ahead of time, though."

"I'm glad too," Beru Lars said, rather to Leia's surprise. The princess had rather forgotten that 'Aunt Beru' was in the room. She was a quiet and gentle woman, not much like Padme. But she loved Luke dearly and had raised him well, and Leia was grateful to her.

Doctor Sert stepped through the door, and Luke and Leia both turned, suddenly nervous.

"You're a perfect match, Princess," he said softly.

Leia froze. Now that the moment was here, now that she knew that she could possibly save Darth Vader, all her fears came rushing in. Should she save the tyrant who used to be Anakin Skywalker?

Padme spoke up in bewilderment, "Match for what, Leia?"

Luke turned to their mother and reached out a gentle hand, "Mother, there were further developments after the destruction of the Death Star. After the massive explosion, I sensed that Father was in trouble on a nearby Imperial corvette. Ben, Leia, and I, plus a couple of compatriots, landed in the corvette and rescued him, but not before he was injected with an extremely dangerous bacterium at Palpatine's orders. Father's white blood cell count is low so the doctors believe that an injection of Leia's bone marrow will increase his chances of survival. I'm not a match, unfortunately, or I would do it."

Padme's face grew suddenly rigid with distress, "Where is your father?"

Luke gestured with a hand, "He's in an ICU ward next door…Mother! Wait!"

Padme was already marching toward the door, but turned quickly, "What is it, Luke? I need to go to him!"

"Mother," Luke stepped forward and grabbed her hands, "Mother…you've not seen his face in 19 years. He…he isn't well, or healthy, Mother. I'm afraid you'll find it quite distressing."

Padme raised herself up on her tiptoes and gave Luke a quick kiss on the forehead, "Bless you, my son. I know you are used to treating me like a child, or a porcelain doll. Right now I'm fully cognizant and aware. I know he was badly injured on Mustafar. I can handle it."

Luke still looked uncertain, and Padme added, "By all means come with me, Luke. If I drop out of this awakening you can interfere. But not before that. Is that clear?"

Luke nodded meekly, even as Padme turned to Leia, "So this bone marrow transplant would possibly assist your father?"

"He's not my father. Bail is my father!" Leia blurted out, without thinking.

She saw the startled look on her biological mother's face, and said repentantly, "I'm sorry, Mother."

"No, you are right, of course. The Organas raised you and they are your true parents. Let me rephrase that. The bone marrow transplant might help save…Vader."

Leia bobbed her head mutely and found herself uncharacteristically shy. Her eyes dropped to gaze at the floor.

She heard her mother's soft steps, and then Padme's hands were on her shoulders.

"Leia, you must do what is right for you, do you understand? I want your fath…I want Anakin to live. But this is a very personal decision. You probably need some time to think it over. Please know I will love, admire, and respect you whatever decision you make."

Leia looked up, her eyes welling with tears, "Thank you, Mother."

"That goes for me too, Leia," Luke said, a trifle awkwardly.

Leia smiled at her twin. She knew how much he wanted Vader to live. Anakin to live. Whoever he was. But if she saved him, and it got out, she'd be known forever as the woman who saved Darth Vader's life.

She sighed internally. But that wasn't the issue, was it? She needed to do the right thing. And the right thing was suddenly obvious.

Padme smiled again at her, then grabbed Luke's arm and hauled him towards and out the door.

Doctors Sert and Klantu and Medic Fentesto stood silently staring at her, as did Aunt Beru.

"Well, let's do it, then," Leia said firmly.

Doctor Klantu's Mon Calamari eyes widened slightly, "You are certain, Princess?"

"Yes, I am."

/-/-/-/

Emperor's Dominion _Star Destroyer_

 _The Emperor's Private Quarters_

Emperor Palpatine closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and tapped one yellowed nail on the armrest.

He allowed his gaze to fix on the nail in question. The yellow matched his eyes, and thus he rather liked the color. But he noted a slight burr on one edge of the nail. He would need his weekly buffing from his manicure droid slightly earlier than usual.

With a slightly gloomy shake of his head, Sidious refocused on the issue at hand. He had spent the last three hours meditating and analyzing the current galactic situation. The Dark Side of the Force was still unruly, refusing to yield the direction that he had come to expect from it. Nevertheless, he had political acumen and decades of wisdom in his mind, and the collective abilities of the entire Imperial intelligence corps at his fingertips.

He would move forward from this fiasco with the Death Star and Vader, and build an even stronger Empire, with an even better second-in-command. Eventually.

In the meantime, Palpatine needed to choose a temporary second-in-command. His lips twitched in irritation. There was one obvious choice, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

With a flick of the Force, the holoscreen in front of him switched on and he reread the brief summary on the screen.

 _Xizor, Falleen Prince of House Sizhran_

 _Head of Black Sun crime syndicate_

 _Second richest individual in the galaxy._

Sidious focused in on one word.

Falleen

Prince Xizor was not human. Humanoid, yes, but not human. Nor were the dissimilarities from humans subtle. Falleens were cold-blooded and could control their skin pigmentation. Their fingers and toes were slightly webbed. Many found them an extremely attractive species and they had the ability to release pheromones that affected humans, increasing their ability to sway those around them to their wishes.

All this could be useful, but Palpatine disliked working with non-humans. He was aware that many 'alien' races had their gifts and abilities, but he preferred humans to serve him. Indeed, over the last 19 years, he had successfully eradicated most alien races from the upper echelons of both the Imperial military and the Empire's powerful elite.

There were, of course, the few exceptions. Admiral Thrawn, for example. The Chiss was so brilliant that Palpatine reluctantly made use of him.

But the reality that he would now be appointing an alien second-in-command, even briefly, was just another mark against his former servant, Darth Vader.

Irritably, Palpatine quickly read through the rest of the report on Xizor. The Falleen prince was intelligent, ruthless, self-centered, extremely wealthy, well connected, cultured, and had one of the best intelligence networks in the galaxy.

Xizor had, furthermore, made it clear that he would do almost anything to take Vader's position as second in the Empire.

Well, he would now have his wish. Briefly. Palpatine would find someone better, a strong Force sensitive, soon enough. The young Skywalker was his best possibility, but there might be someone else out there. It was a large galaxy. (Though apprentices like Vader were certainly not found on every ossberry tree. The man was the strongest Force user Palpatine had ever known.)

A pity, really, that none of his Hands were appropriate for this role. Mara Jade, now – she worshiped him – but she wasn't strong enough in the Force to be his permanent Sith apprentice.

Well, for now, a decision had been made. Xizor would be officially promoted and then Palpatine would assign him the task of finding out more about the young Skywalker. The boy must have friends, plus an adopted family. There must be some way to lure the youth out.

And when Skywalker was in his grasp, and turned, Xizor would be discarded.

One last delightful thought crossed Palpatine's mind. Xizor employed the best moonglow chef in the galaxy. Sidious would 'request' the chef as a requirement for Xizor's promotion.

Darth Sidious did enjoy a delectable dish of moonglow.

 _Author Note: Prince Xizor, and moonglow, are introduced in the EU book_ Shadows of the Empire _by Steve Perry._

 _Thrawn and Mara Jade are introduced in Timothy Zahn's books._


	24. Chapter 24

_The Liberty_

 _Intensive Care Suite set aside for Darth Vader_

Luke Skywalker stood in the corridor outside Darth Vader's intensive care room, staring through the transparisteel window at his father's scarred face. There was a rustle beside him, and he turned to see Obi-wan and Aunt Beru enter the corridor. Beru walked over to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulder, even as she turned her attention to Vader too.

What she saw caused her to gasp in surprise, and Luke felt a ripple of shock emanate from Kenobi as well.

His mother Padme had just emerged from a side door into Vader's medical chamber. She was now wearing a sterile gown and a cap over her long hair, and she walked side by side with Doctor Sert, who stepped over to his lord and carefully checked the monitors.

Padme looked down at her husband's face for the first time since they had parted so brutally 19 years ago. Luke's heart seemed to skip a beat, and he felt the intense sorrow billowing from her.

 _She loves him still_ , he thought.

Kenobi murmured softly, "Is this wise? Your mother is not mentally or emotionally well. This might be too much for her."

Luke exhaled slowly, "I'm not her parent, I'm her child, as she pointed out very firmly to me an hour ago. She insisted on going in there with Father. She's in the middle of an awakening and completely cognizant of what is going on. And…I can tell that Father knows she is there. Can't you feel it, Ben?"

Kenobi put an aged hand on the transparisteel window and his head bowed slightly, "Yes, he knows. He is more at peace"

Beru spoke up softly, "Don't be afraid, Kenobi…or Luke. Your mother is stronger than she seems, and she has always been able to comfort Anakin in the very worst of times. When we lost Shmi, she was the only one that could get through to him."

Luke looked at Beru sideways, "You never would tell me what happened to Grandma Shmi."

He sensed a crashing sorrow in his usually calm and collected aunt, and his eyes widened.

Her own eyes were filled with tears, which she tried to blink away. Beru shook her head slightly and managed to say, "Another time, Luke. Not now."

He nodded and looked back at his parents, in time to see Padme lean over and gently kiss his father's forehead. Again, Luke sensed a surge of joy from his father, who still seemed completely unconscious.

Kenobi put a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder, "Luke, you must be exhausted. You've not slept in far too long, and the trip back on the _Falcon_ was tiring as you were helping your father. Why don't you go snatch a few hours of sleep and I'll keep watch over your parents?"

Luke hesitated briefly. He was terribly exhausted, almost to the point of feeling sick. And hungry. And dirty! But should he really leave his parents now?

Aunt Beru spoke up, "Go ahead, Luke. Obi-wan and I can keep watch. If Padme drops out of this awakening and is distressed, she knows me well enough that I can probably calm her. You can't go without sleep forever, and the next few days will no doubt be tiring."

Luke nodded, "Thank you both. I will then. I think I heard one of the doctors say that Leia's bone marrow is being replicated and will be injected into Father in about an hour, but that there likely won't be any immediate change."

"I agree," Kenobi responded, "Oh, by the way, your X-wing just showed up, with your R2 unit flying her."

Luke turned in surprise and dismay, "R2D2! I totally forgot about him with all the craziness when we were escaping that corvette! Is he all right?"

Ben nodded and smiled, "R2 took off just after the _Falcon_ did. He's been a proactive, independent droid as long as I have known him. He took a different route back to Yavin IV and went out of his way more than we did, so it took longer for him to get here."

Luke yawned enormously, even as he said, "I need to go visit him…"

"But not now," his aunt interrupted him, "Now sleep."

Luke smiled gratefully and left the corridor.

/-/-/-/-

 _Imperial Center_

 _Imperial City_

 _Prince Xizor's Palace_

Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun Syndicate, now the unofficial second-in-command of the Empire, abased himself even more before the towering hologram in his private transmission chamber.

"Your Highness, my entire life is yours, and my greatest desire is to serve you well."

"Prince Xizor," the creaking voice of Palpatine responded, "Your greatest desire is to elevate yourself, and well I know it. However, your self-interest is of use to me, as you are aware of the risks in openly challenging me, and are too calculating to jeopardize your best interests for the sake of an underling or family member. But be assured that I am watching you carefully. Serve me well, and you will enjoy both power and wealth even beyond what you have now. Treachery will be dealt with most firmly. Do we have an agreement, Prince Xizor of House Sizhran?"

Xizor raised his face slightly, rearranging it into an expression that he knew signaled honesty to humans. He also changed his skin color to a more solemn hue of blue, "Your Majesty, I am honored beyond words can express, but I assure you that I am your loyal and humble servant with every iota of my being."

Palpatine's aged face crinkled slightly with a humorless smile, "Oh, and Prince Xizor, one last thing."

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"I want your moonglow chef."

/-/-/-/

 _Outside the Xizor's private transmission chamber_

Xizor stepped out of the chamber and allowed his skin coloring to change from subdued blue to vibrant orangish-red.

At last. At last!

Guri stood waiting for him. He twitched one hand toward her and turned toward his office, which was his own private sanctum. In addition to being combed frequently for auditory and visual devices, it was the place where he felt most secure and comfortable.

Inside the lavishly appointed office, he turned to face Guri directly.

"Many congratulations, my prince."

"You saw it all?" Xizor asked idly.

"Yes, my master."

Xizor nodded. Guri was completely loyal to him because she was programmed to be. While she looked like a conventionally beautiful human with long blond tresses and blue eyes, she was in fact a human replica droid. She could pass for human in almost every way, but was devoid of the foolish compassion of many humans.

As a Falleen, Xizor could only admire and respect a being who could kill without a whisper of compassion, without hesitation, without doubt.

And Guri could, and did, kill often, always with his interests in mind. She was the perfect lieutenant – physically both innocuous and beautiful – worthy to be seen on his arm at dress balls, all the while providing him with protection. Her droid body was incredibly strong and programmed with a multitude of forms of single combat and hand weaponry.

Xizor walked slowly over to a window and stared out at the palace of Lord Darth Vader, which was even larger and more impressive than his own.

A Falleen smile touched his lips; it was the sort of smile that would cause small human children to run in terror and he was careful to indulge in such grimaces only in his private quarters, or when he was trying to unnerve rivals. Or terrorize small human children.

Vader's palace. Perhaps it could be razed and replaced with a wastewater facility? Perhaps it could become Imperial Center's new garbage dump? He would enjoy thinking of ways to destroy all that honored and elevated the former Sith Lord.

Former Sith Lord. Palpatine's brief explanation that "Vader has most foolishly betrayed me and has paid the ultimate price." was interesting but not particularly illuminating. There must be much, much more to the story.

And was he really dead? It would be wise to determine that as well. Vader, if he was still alive, would come out with lightsaber swinging at the individual who took his place as the Emperor's Right Hand.

In the meantime, he had two very specific tasks to complete before Emperor Palpatine returned to Imperial Center. It was an indication of the importance of at least one of the tasks that Palpatine had dropped out of hyperspace in order to discuss the situation with Xizor. And the youth's name, Skywalker, was of _extreme_ interest.

"Guri, I need every iota of information about a young man, age 19 or 20 standard years, who until very recently lived on Tatooine near a decrepit little place called Tosche Station. I want to know who he lived with, who his best friends were, where he went to school, what he likes to eat, whether he had pets, if he can fly, if he is a mathematical prodigy, if he has an artificial foot, everything. I want updates as rapidly as possible."

"Yes, my prince."

Guri turned and exited with her usual grace, even as Prince Xizor of House Sizhran cogitated.

Skywalker. Darth Vader had once been Anakin Skywalker. And he had become the Dark Lord of the Sith 19 years ago. And this young man was about 19 years old. It could not be a coincidence.

It seemed almost too much to hope for, but this young Skywalker could be, probably was, Darth Vader's son.

Xizor's teeth gritted together to the point of actual pain. He forced himself to relax as he allowed himself to think about the past.

It had been 7 years since a biological facility on the Falleen homeworld, a laboratory working on bioweapons for Lord Darth Vader, had breached a flesh-eating bacteria into the atmosphere of Falleen. Vader had ordered the entire surrounding city to be razed to prevent an outbreak of the bacterium through the galaxy.

The destroyed city had been the home of Xizor's family. Most of his relatives had died in that calamity.

Xizor's hatred for Darth Vader had only grown in the last seven years, but he had kept it under control and even hidden. Very few knew that the Dark Prince's distaste for Vader was personal, as opposed to merely political. He had managed to delete most of the data which connected Xizor to the death of the royal family of Falleen.

Vader had murdered his family. He would see Vader's son destroyed if it was the last thing he did.

 _Author Note: Thanks again for the reviews and follows!_

 _Guri and Xizor's vendetta against Vader are described in_ Shadows of the Empire _._


	25. Chapter 25

_The events in this chapter occur over about a one week period, and the scenes are not necessarily in chronological order._

 _Tosche Station, Tatooine_

 _Laze 'Fixer' Loneozner's mechanics shop_

"Yeah, I know the Lars' place. It was destroyed by Sand People a few weeks ago and burned down. Not much to look at anymore."

Laze Loneozner, more popularly known as 'Fixer', glanced up at his unknown guest, stopping his work on the malfunctioning landspeeder.

The man who was questioning him about the Lars' moisture farm seemed a bit out of place on Tosche Station. He was older than Fixer by at least 20 years and wore traditional desert garb, but his accent and manner seemed just a bit off. Fixer shrugged. He didn't much care. He was primarily interested in his machines, his girlfriend Camie, and his daily allotment of alcohol. Not always in that order.

The man standing in front of him quirked an inquiring eyebrow and sat down on a bench, uninvited.

"My name is Joska, and I'm originally from Jakku though I've been working south of Mos Eisley here on Tatooine for the last 15 years. I've been toiling for a moisture farmer out there but I'm ready for my own farm and have the opportunity to buy something up. I had a relative die and have come into some credits."

"Lucky you," Fixer responded morosely, even as a tube broke open and spilled oil on the floor.

"I just wondered if I might be able to buy up what is left of the Lars' farm. I hear it was a reasonable concern before and I think I could rebuild it."

Fixer stood up and wiped his hands off with a rag, "Why would you want to go there when the Sandpeople are so active? They killed the whole family. Dangerous place to be so isolated."

There was a rustle as Camie stepped out of the back room of the shop. She had obviously been listening to the conversation as she said, "Fixer, I really don't think it was Sandpeople. It was the Empire. There were shuttles flying all over that day and reports of Stormtroopers. No reason to even think the Lars and Luke and that 'mystery lady' living with them are dead, either. They mighta been arrested, mighta run away or something when the Empire showed up. So while my family would be glad to have that moisture farm up and running so we can buy water, you might find yourself dealing with a legal problem if you take over. Though here in this part of Tatooine, possession is usually the law."

Joska leaned forward with interest, "Well, perhaps if they ran off, they are staying with friends? Any chance you could point me in a likely direction? I don't want to cause trouble with the Lars and their son."

Fixer growled irritably, "Luke's not their son. He's some kind of nephew but his kin were slaves – his last name is Skywalker. Runty little fella. His best friend was Biggs Darklighter, but Biggs has been gone for years. He went to the Imperial Academy. Managed to get off this dusty rock. I tell you, Mr. Joska – you got credits? Leave this stinking planet and go somewhere cool and wet. That's my best advice."

Joska smiled slightly, "Thanks for the advice, Mr. Loneozner. I appreciate it. But still, I want to look into this opportunity at the Lars' farm. But perhaps this nephew would be a problem? If the farm is his legacy he may cling to it."

"Cling to it? Not a chance," Fixer leaned over and made a quick adjustment before starting the engine.

Over the increased engine noises, he yelled louder, "Let me tell you about Luke. The kid thought he was this awesome pilot and all he ever talked about was getting off this rock…"

Joska nodded and absently brushed his pocket to make sure the recording device was present and activated.

/-/-/-

 _The Liberty_

 _In the corridor outside Darth Vader's ICU chamber_

"How is he?" Luke asked eagerly.

It had been 10 hours since he had left his father and mother.

He had taken a shower. A _water_ shower. He had heard of water showers, as one has heard of the sein jewels of Naboo, but he had never imagined he would experience such a wonderful thing. It was so amazing that he had stayed in the shower for 20 long minutes, in spite of his hunger and weariness.

Then he had eaten a lot, quickly.

He had then commandeered the elder Organas room (with their permission) and fallen into bed and slept. And slept and slept some more. 8 hours of sleeping and now he felt like a new man.

But he felt guilty too, for leaving others to watch over his parents.

Ben smiled at his young friend, "Your father is doing well. The bone marrow infusion has helped him. His white blood cell count is climbing rapidly and his body is fighting off the bacterium. His brain activity is stabilizing. It seems almost certain he will survive."

Luke leaned against the wall in relief and thanksgiving. Bless Leia. He knew it hadn't been an easy decision for her to make, but she had done it for him and for Padme.

And maybe for herself and Vader? Their father hadn't made any attempt to endear himself to his daughter through traditional means, but saving her planet from annihilation had definitely softened Leia's attitude toward the Dark Lord.

In spite of the near torture.

"Where is mother?" Luke asked belatedly.

"She was 'awake' for a full three hours before losing lucidity. Your aunt took her back to her room and she is resting now."

"And Leia?"

"She's in a meeting. Actually, I've been asked to join the conclave when I'm available."

"I'll watch Father. Thank you, Ben."

/-/-/-/-

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

Kat Sloani trudged the last few feet to her door and put up a weary hand to allow access into her efficiency apartment.

The 'puter read her palm print and the door slid open. She stepped forward with a sigh of relief and hurled her shoes off. They banged satisfyingly against the wall.

She had been on her feet for 16 hours and oh, how her feet hurt! And the sad thing was that she was just barely making it financially, in spite of the long hours of work in the planet's most exclusive restaurant, the Manarai.

It wasn't that her pay was that bad, but Mother and Father needed so much help right now.

With a groan, she pulled a cold drink out of her cooler and carried it into the combination living area/bedroom

And stopped in shock and terror. Three dim figures stood in the darkness.

Kat felt her heart leap to her throat, and she gasped even as her subconscious mind frantically tried to remember self defense procedures.

A light switched on, and a man moved forward, "Don't worry Kat, it's me."

Kat's mouth dropped even as she felt her heart return to the proper place in her chest, "Lika, what are you doing here? In my place? You about gave me a heart attack!"

Lika looked apologetic, "I'm sorry, Kat. It wasn't wise to hang out in the corridor outside your place so we 'let ourselves in'."

"You what?"

"We don't have much time," one of the other beings murmured. The light showed both of the others to be female humans, one, like Kat, in her late 20's, the other quite a bit older.

"Right," Lika said briskly, "Kat, please meet Agent A and Agent B."

Kat blinked in astonishment, "Seriously, Lika. Agent A and Agent B? Couldn't you come up with something more interesting than that? Who are they? Film agents wanting a cook for some ritzy holofilm premier?"

"We're with the Rebel Alliance, Kat," the older woman said abruptly.

Kat froze in shock, then turned to her friend, "Lika, do you mean you…"

"Yes, I'm with the Alliance, Kat," her friend responded, his eyes and face solemn.

Kat could hardly recognize that look in her friend of many years, her casual restaurant buddy. Lika was a waiter in a restaurant, a nice one though not nearly as prestigious as the Manarai. They had met at a trade convention for restaurant staff and hit it off, platonically, not romantically.

They were good friends.

Lika waited for her to recover from her shock, then continued gently, "We've swept your place for devices and we're clear, but we must not stay long. You told me many times of your hatred of the Emperor for what he did to your brother Dintar. You even said, on the one occasion when you had too much to drink, that you were thinking about joining up with the Rebellion. Were you serious about all that?"

Kat's chin lifted.

"Absolutely," she hissed, "I would do anything to fight the Empire. I just didn't know how to make contact. Lika, why didn't you tell me before?"

The older agent spoke gently, "Well, Kat, to be honest we weren't sure of your sincerity, nor how a cook would best fit into the Alliance's plans. But something has come up. If you are sure, absolutely positive, we have a mission for you. But it is dangerous. I want you to think through that. Lika trusts you, and if you feel you cannot commit 100% to the Alliance, just say so and we will disappear. Please think it over and Lika will stop by tomorrow to get your answer, if that is all right."

Kat shook her head quickly, "No, I'm sure right now. I will do anything. Dintar was …he was a gentle, honest soul, a wonderful artist, and the Emperor and his Imperial 'justice' put my brother in a spice mine. My sweet precious Dintar. He lived for only 3 months in those brutal conditions, you know."

Agent B (the older one) stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Kat's arm, "Yes, we know. I too have lost loved ones to the Empire's brutality."

Lika and the two agents looked at one another for a long moment, and then Agent A spoke quietly, "Very well, Kat, this is what we want you to do…"

/-/-/-/-

 _The Liberty_

 _The Organa's suite_

 _Padme Naberrie Skywalker's Room_

"Are you quite comfortable, Mother?" Leia Organa asked.

Padme was lying down on her bed, with a breathing mask over her mouth and nose. She nodded at her daughter and smiled through the mask.

Doctor Sert stepped forward and carefully injected the dose of CGA1629 into Padme's IV.

Leia watched as her mother's eyes fluttered close and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Doctor Sert gestured to Leia and she left the room, with Medic Fentesto hovering in attendance.

"She needs complete quiet for 24 hours, as you no doubt know. Then we'll bring her out of her unconscious state gently. Medic Fentesto and I will take turns watching over her. There are monitors in the room so you can always check on her status, if you wish. I promise you, Princess Leia Organa, that we will take good care of her."

Leia nodded and smiled at him. She did trust these Imperials, which was remarkable – both because they were Imperials, and because Vader had handpicked them.

But on the other hand, if there was one thing she knew with certainty now, it was that Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, was still very much in love with her mother, Padme.

/-/-/-/

 _Tatooine_

 _Anchorhead hospital_

Doctor Craywind strode rapidly toward the transmission station. He had more patients than usual and was thoroughly annoyed at the prospect of a long discussion with some Imperial bureaucrat from who knows where.

But it didn't pay to antagonize Imperials, no matter how low their rank.

Five minutes later he exited the transmission room and grabbed a hapless first year doctor by the arm, dragging him into a nearby office.

"I've got a job for you," he said, with his mind already running ahead to his patients, "Look up Beru and Owen Lars and Luke Skywalker in our system and send all their medical records to this secure Imperial holosite, plus any information about sentients living at the same address as the Lars. If we have any holocam information about them, send that too. I don't expect much but I know I've treated at least Skywalker once."

"Yes, sir," the young doctor said belatedly. Doctor Craywind was already out of the room at his usual rapid pace.

/-/-/-

 _The Liberty_

 _Corridor outside Darth Vader's ICU room_

Luke was surprised that he wasn't bored. He was, after all, standing against a window staring at an unconscious man. For hours.

But the unconscious man in question was his father, and he had seen Vader's face for the first time a week ago.

His eyes focused in on the scarred visage. The burned tissue was heartbreaking to observe, but through the injuries Luke could see familiar features from both his own face and his sister Leia's. Vader had his nose (or Luke had Vader's nose), but Leia's chin matched her father's.

Tentatively, Luke stretched out his senses towards his father.

Vader was still unconscious, but his unconscious self was more alert. Luke could tell he was improving physically and mentally.

Of course, that was its own problem. The Alliance leadership would naturally be concerned to house a fully recovered Darth Vader, even with his recent history of enabling the destruction of the Death Star.

Luke felt briefly fearful and then firmly put the anxiety behind him. There was no reason to worry right now. There were enough problems in the galaxy, and in his own personal life, without borrowing trouble for the future.

The door to his left slid open. He hadn't even turned his head when a familiar but unexpected voice spoke in amazement.

"Luke?!"

Luke turned in disbelief.

"Biggs?!"

 _Author Note:_

 _Just to be totally clear Kat Sloani and company are brand new OCs._

 _Thanks again for all the reviews and follows._

 _Thank you, K., for editing!_


	26. Chapter 26

_Author Note: Very brief discussion of Tatooine slave culture_

 _The Liberty_

 _Corridor outside Darth Vader's ICU room_

Luke leaped to his feet and gave an enthusiastic hug to his best friend from childhood, Biggs Darklighter.

Biggs responded in kind, while also thumping Luke firmly on the back.

"Luke Skywalker, you are a sight for sore eyes," Biggs said after a minute, "I got back from a mission yesterday and everyone's yapping away 'Skywalker', 'Skywalker'. I figured it had to be you, even though I don't know how you managed to escape your Uncle Owen. But you are without a doubt the best bush pilot on the Outer Rim. That was an amazing shot destroying the Death Star, Luke, amazing."

"I didn't know you were with the Alliance, Biggs," Luke said, his initial euphoria shifting into surprise.

"Yeah, well — I discovered what the Empire was really like during my time at the Academy. I jumped ship 6 months ago, connected with a Rebel cell, and have been flying with the Alliance ever since. I would almost certainly have been part of the Death Star attack except I had a mission to accompany former Senator Mon Mothma to her homeworld of Chandrila. Like I said, I just got back."

"And just walked in here, huh?" Luke inquired a bit worriedly, "I thought security was supposed to be tighter."

"It's crazy tight, Luke, though I don't know why. There are guards all over the medical area. I was turned away and then ran into that old hermit Ben Kenobi, who ran interference for me so I could see you. Obviously there is more to _that_ man than I knew. He said you would tell me what was going on."

Luke nodded thoughtfully even as he stared at his old friend appraisingly. He and Biggs had been best friends since Luke was only 8 years old; the difference in ages (Biggs was the elder by 3 years) had not been an issue, as both had a passion for piloting and landspeeders. They had flown the most difficult sections of Beggar's Canyon more than once, spurring one another on to new heights of insanity or daring, depending on one's perspective. Biggs' departure from Tatooine a couple of years ago had been a blow, though by that time he knew about his twin sister Leia, which had been its own source of comfort.

"So," Biggs said, breaking into his thoughts, "Besides destroying moon sized space stations, what have you been doing with your time lately?"

Biggs said this with a familiar grin, and Luke felt a surge of joy. He loved Leia dearly but they didn't have many common experiences. Biggs had lived on Tatooine most of his life and he understood what life was like under the dual suns of the desert world. He knew of long days of backbreaking work, of the constant sand, of the dust storms that ruined equipment and endangered lives, of the Tusken Raiders whose raids brought death and fear. Their shared experience was a comfort during this time of uncertainty in his own life, with so many unknowns filling his future.

On the other hand…

"Right now I'm watching Lord Vader," Luke said abruptly, even as he gestured through the window at his father's room.

Biggs gulped in amazement, even as he walked carefully over to the window and peered in at Luke's father.

His expression shifted from alarm to surprise and then to pitying horror, "That's Darth Vader? What's wrong with him?"

Luke sighed and sat down on the bench against the far wall of the corridor, and after a moment, Biggs joined him.

"Well, a lot is wrong with him," Luke said heavily, "But the scarring and life support are due to a fight he lost 19 years ago, a lightsaber duel with Ben Kenobi. He lost 3 limbs and was burned by lava. Palpatine rescued him, if that term can reasonably be used, and managed to save his life by putting him in life support."

"Ben Kenobi beat Darth Vader in a fight?"

"Yeah, Ben is really Obi-wan Kenobi, a former Jedi Master. Darth Vader was his apprentice but he turned to the Dark Side and joined Palpatine when the latter became Emperor."

Biggs was silent for two minutes, obviously digesting all this. Luke took a few deep breaths and forced himself to relax. He hadn't even told Biggs the really crazy truth, and he was, admittedly, nervous about his best friend's reaction.

"So somehow the Alliance managed to capture Vader? And he's injured? And we're keeping him here because…why?" Biggs finally asked.

Luke hesitated, then decided to just go for it, "Biggs, this is going to be hard to explain and I apologize for not telling you this earlier, but it just wasn't safe. You remember that lady who was living with us the last few years, right?"

"Um, yeah? The relative of your aunt who was brain damaged from a spice overdose?"

"Well, that was the story. Actually, her name is Padme and she's my – my mother, my biological mother. She experienced brain damage about the time I was born and couldn't take care of me, in fact she was in a coma or near coma 'til I was about 15."

"Ok," Biggs said, his brow furrowing, "So why all the secrecy? Why the deception to everyone, including me and my family?"

Luke flinched just a little but went on determinedly, "Padme was married to Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight. Anakin Skywalker was Obi-wan Kenobi's apprentice before he…turned against the Jedi, joined Palpatine, and became…Darth Vader."

Biggs froze completely. The expression on his face changed from disbelief to bewilderment to anxiety to shock, finally ending with stunned dismay.

"Your father is…is Darth Vader?"

Luke nodded without speaking.

"Since when?"

"Since conception, Biggs," Luke said, smirking through his unease.

Biggs rolled his eyes, "I mean, how do you know this? And how long have you known it?"

Luke sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes, "I figured out something had gone really wrong with my father based on some things my mother said, and I forced it out of Ben Kenobi. He had told me earlier that he was my father's Jedi master, but had claimed that Darth Vader had killed Anakin Skywalker, not that my father became Darth Vader. This was not long after Mother came to live with us."

Darklighter shook his head incredulously, "So seriously, Luke. You've known three years?"

"Yeah."

"And all those times at Tosche Station when Fixer and Camie and the whole gang were giving you grief about being an orphan and slave kin, all that time you knew Lord Darth Vader, second in command of the galaxy, was your old man?"

Luke cocked his head, "It wasn't like it was something I would brag about even if I had been free to say something, which I wasn't. Mother and I were hiding from him."

Biggs shook his head, "I did sort of notice that you didn't talk about your dad anymore, not like when you were a kid. So you never, you know, thought about trying to contact him?"

Luke kept his eyes straight ahead, unwilling to meet his friend's eyes, "I thought about it, yeah. But I was afraid for Mother. She used to be a queen, incredibly enough, and a senator as well, but she is brain damaged now and definitely more a burden than a blessing, or at least that is what I thought Vader would think. As for me…I didn't think he'd care about a son from a backwards planet. Either that or he'd just kill me on the spot for being an embarrassment or child of a Jedi, even if he was the former Jedi in question."

He now looked at his friend, "You and I both know of the slave kids in the outskirts of Anchorhead whose fathers are the owners of the mothers, and those men don't care at all about their own children. If men like that exist on Tatooine, I figured a really high ranking Imperial would have similar views, quite aside from Vader's very fearsome reputation."

Biggs put a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder, "So what did happen?"

"Princess Leia Organa was trying to contact Obi-wan Kenobi after she retrieved the Death Star plans, and she ended up at our farm," Luke explained.

That was _most_ of the truth, anyway. Luke felt badly about deceiving Biggs about his sister, but Leia's parentage was, he hoped, going to be kept a secret from anyone else.

"Anyway, the Imperials were in hot pursuit and the princess, Ben Kenobi, and my aunt and uncle fled. I couldn't leave because my mother was in the middle of a medical crisis. Lord Vader himself came down to the surface and found Mother and me. He recognized her instantly and knew who I was as soon as I gave him my name."

There was a pause, then Biggs responded gently, "So how did he react?"

Luke clenched his teeth as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. He managed a watery smile, and brushed a hand over his face, "He was completely overjoyed."

Biggs dropped his hand in amazement, "Really? It is 'you' we're talking about, right?"

Luke rolled his eyes and smiled, appreciative of his friend's ability to lighten the intensity of this conversation.

He then continued, "Yes, he was. He had thought Mother had died before I was born, so of course he thought I had died as well. He said it was the best thing that had happened to him in 19 years, learning that we were both alive. He's not very good at showing emotion but he did so much for us, giving Mother the very best medical care, letting me practice on simulators for both a TIE Advanced and an X-wing. He killed Tarkin and then brought the Death Star to Krylon so the Alliance could attack it. He suffered serious injuries during the attack when the Emperor arrived and unleashed his troops against Father. We brought him here and, well, he's been unconscious for more than a week. But he's doing better."

Biggs shook his head incredulously and was silent again for two minutes. The quiet was more comfortable this time, as Luke could tell his old friend was merely astonished, not condemning.

"I'm happy for you, Luke," Biggs finally said, "I know how much you always wanted to know your father."

"It is an amazing…gift," Luke began, before continuing in a rush, "Though I admit I'm pretty worried about him. He's injured and weak, and I kind of expect the Alliance leadership to freak out at some point. He has done some terrible things. I just don't know what is going to happen."

Biggs smiled a little and quoted an old Tatooine proverb, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

"That's good advice, Biggs," Luke agreed, then grinned ruefully, "It's just following it that is tough."

/-/-/-

 _Imperial Center_

 _Imperial City_

 _'_ _Hall of Naboo' in Emperor Palpatine's palace_

Relinka Spetzv gave a practiced toss of her purple hair and stared straight at the holocam.

The man behind the cam held up 5 fingers and counted down to 0, before nodding quickly.

Relinka's face beamed her 10,000 credit smile and she began, "Citizens of the mighty Empire, welcome to the 'Hall of Naboo" where the elite of the galaxy are gathered together this evening to celebrate the promotion of Prince Xizor of House Sizhran to the second-in-command of our glorious Empire."

She turned to her co-host, Cray Shifton, who was sporting a green and blue hairstyle which complemented her violet locks, "Cray, it is a great day."

Cray nodded with a slight smile, then quickly grew solemn, "Indeed, Relinka, it is. But before we cover the celebration here tonight in honor of Prince Xizor, it is my profound privilege to discuss the solemn memorial held in Lord Darth Vader's honor this morning. Emperor Palpatine and Prince Xizor attended, in addition to some of the highest level members of the Imperial military, including 3 Moffs. The press was not allowed to view the memorial, but several individuals informed us that the ceremony was, in their words, extremely moving."

Relinka shifted her expression to one of solemn interest, "Cray, are you allowed to share with our audience anything about Lord Vader's death?"

Cray stared straight at the holocam, "Much of what happened is classified, but I am allowed to say this. The Empire recently completed work on a very large medical and research facility, and Lord Vader was in command of the vessel. The Rebel Alliance succeeded in infiltrating the station and released a toxic spore into the atmosphere, a spore which multiplied rapidly at normal temperatures and would have decimated the research and medical personnel on the ship. Lord Vader managed to guide the vessel to an Outer Rim planet, and evacuated most of the men on board. He was in the process of eradicating the spore when the Rebellion launched a surprise attack and destroyed the facility. While most of the men were saved, Lord Darth Vader was tragically killed in this horrible attack on a peaceful research vessel."

Relinka shook her head in obvious distress, "That is truly terrible, Cray. We can only be thankful to be guided and led by our esteemed Emperor Palpatine, who is diligently focused on destroying this pitiless band of traitors. And now…it is my true honor to introduce formally to our galactic audience, Prince Xizor."

The holocam pulled away to reveal the Prince, his skin a warm orange, his flaming red pantsuit and cloak a powerful complement to his exotic looks.

Relinka's professional demeanor slipped as the Falleen's pheromones wafted into her personal space. She smiled in a way which, if the cam had been on her, would have been legitimately described as 'goofy'. Cray, noticing his co-worker's unexpected gaffe, stepped into the breach.

"Prince Xizor, we are truly honored to have you on the program. Truly honored. Please accept the congratulations of all of us at your promotion to second-in-command of the Empire…"

/-/-

In his recently repaired primary Throne Room, Darth Sidious turned off the Holonet feed with a flick of the Force.

Prince Xizor had at least one major advantage over Darth Vader. Though he was as ruthless and conniving as anyone in the galaxy, Xizor was able to exude chemicals which would convince most humans, or at least female ones, of his good faith and intent.

Darth Vader, on the other hand, had the charm of a Gamorrean thunder wasp.

Palpatine considered. It was a pity, in a way, that Xizor wasn't a Force sensitive, but indeed he was not. He was totally Force blind.

Sidious needed a Sith apprentice. But even assuming that he could track down and turn the young Skywalker, the boy would not be ready to take a high position in the Empire immediately. The youth's own father had taken years to learn the subtle machinations of the Imperial court.

So perhaps Xizor would live longer than originally anticipated. He would make a useful subordinate in the public eye, while Sidious focused on grooming the young Skywalker to eventually take his place.

The Emperor frowned thoughtfully at his datapad. Prince Xizor's agents had already tracked down a great deal of information about Luke (Sidious finally had a first name) Skywalker, including his home life, information about his pathetic adopted family, his friendships, his interactions with medical personnel, even a significant amount about the boy's piloting skills. Not that Sidious had any doubt that young Skywalker had inherited his sire's abilities in that regard. The boy had, after all, been the one to fire that impossible shot which destroyed the Death Star.

Palpatine leaned back in his Throne and reached into the Force.

Finding his focus in the maelstrom of the Force continued to be difficult. Indeed, regrettably, the Light was only growing stronger. But by pushing in with all his considerable power, Sidious was able to establish the following.

1\. Luke Skywalker was growing in skill and power, rapidly. He was obviously training with someone. Probably…

2\. Obi-wan Kenobi, that vile excrescence of a Jedi who had just emerged from 19 years of obscurity on Tatooine to wreak further havoc on Palpatine's glorious Empire.

3\. Darth Vader, who felt more like Anakin Skywalker now, was still alive and apparently recovering physically. That was rather inconvenient, though the man still felt weak in the Force. He had obviously sustained a delightful amount of damage during the battle around on the Death Star and on the corvette. Sidious was surprised he had survived even a small dose of Retolivan 96. In some ways, it was satisfying, however. Darth Sidious had every intention of punishing his former servant, and obviously that was feasible only when the man was among the living.

4\. There was a peculiar resonance about the bright white light of Luke Skywalker in the Force. What was it? It was like…a moon circling a planet, a lesser sun in a twin sun system. Something small but powerful. What was it?

Sidious sighed. He was tired. He had earlier attended that stupid 'memorial' for Vader and had forced himself to project an aura of restrained grief for a solid 45 minutes. Most annoying.

With a creak of aged bones and muscles, Palpatine rose from his throne and padded off to his comfortable bed. Oh how he loved freshly changed sheets…

/-/

 _The Liberty_

 _Darth Vader's ICU chamber_

Doctor Sert stared with concern at the instruments monitoring Lord Darth Vader. Five minutes ago, he had started seeing drastic changes in the Dark Lord's brain patterns. He had summoned Vader's son immediately.

There was a low level beep and Sert turned to see the man Kenobi and Luke Skywalker enter the room. Sert sighed in relief.

"What's wrong?" Skywalker demanded.

"Your father's brain wave patterns…" Sert began, only to stop as Vader's eyes suddenly opened.

The eyes were fixed on nothing in particular, and his face was frozen in bewilderment, which slowly shifted to a look of distress and terror.

Abruptly, Vader sat up in his bed.

"Father," Luke said gently, reaching out a hand, only to be interrupted by Vader's wispy voice, difficult to hear around the breath mask.

"Where is Padme? Is she safe? Is she all right?"

/-/-/-/-

 _Author Note: The "Tatooine proverb" quoted by Biggs is actually from the Bible, Matthew 6:34._


	27. Chapter 27

_Organas' suite on the Liberty_

 _Main living quarters_

"That's the Lake Region in Naboo, of course," Padme Naberrie Skywalker said with a reminiscent smile.

The image she was looking at was on a holoscreen sitting on the table. The images were being generated by R2D2.

C3PO clucked in delight, "Oh, I'm so glad that you recognize it, Madame! You don't always, you know. Your brain isn't quite as functional as might be hoped."

There was an indignant whistle from R2, and 3PO shot back, "I'm not being rude, I'm just stating the truth!"

Another picture appeared on the screen, and 3PO looked at it and promptly protested, "What is this, R2? You aren't just supposed to throw up random images! There is a plan, and you are, as usual, ignoring it."

R2 beeped again, even as Padme suddenly stepped forward and touched the screen with a gentle hand, "Oh, R2, it's a holo of Anakin and me on our wedding day. I didn't know you had this! Oh R2 …."

The door suddenly opened abruptly and Breha Organa appeared, looking uncharacteristically pale, "Padme, we need you right now. Anakin is in trouble!"

/-/-/

 _Darth Vader's ICU room_

"No, no," Vader croaked in anguish, "That's impossible! I felt her, she was alive! I couldn't have killed her!"

The ICU room was a disaster, with instrumentation smashed and destroyed by Darth Vader's Force frenzy, in spite of the noble efforts of both his son and Obi-wan Kenobi to deflect and minimize the damage. Vader himself was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes still wide with horror, apparently not seeing anyone else in the room,

Doctor Sert was outside the room in the corridor, huddling behind the half wall which had the now broken transparisteel window above it. Leia Organa and Bail Organa had joined him, and a group of troops were gathered outside the room, but were staying back at the elder Organa's command.

"What is he doing?" Bail demanded of Sert.

"I don't know, sir," Sert said in distress and terror, "He woke up and began crying out for his wife. He seems to think she is dead and he is upset."

"Upset is a word for it," Leia snapped.

Inside the room, Luke was trying to get through to his frenzied sire, "Father, Mother is all right. She's fine, I promise you, she's fine!"

"No," Vader said suddenly, bringing up his hands harshly against the breath mask on his face, "No, I killed her. Sidious told me that I killed her in my anger. She's dead, the baby is dead, because of me. I murdered her, my precious angel. I deserve to die. I killed her."

The breathing mask began crumbling under his prosthetic hands.

Luke stepped forward, hoping to stop his father from destroying his breathing support, but Obi-wan grabbed him firmly by the shoulders to pull him back.

"Luke, don't approach. I know you want to help but he might accidentally harm you when he is in this state."

There was a sudden rustle behind them, and Padme appeared in the twisted door of the ICU room, with Breha, Leia, and Bail behind her.

"Anakin?" Padme cried out, "Ani, where are you?"

Vader's hands suddenly dropped. The others could hear air hissing from a hole in the mask.

The former Sith Lord looked at his wife in disbelief, and said softly "Padme, is that you? Are you all right? Are you safe?"

"Ani?" Padme replied in bewilderment, her eyes focusing on the scarred visage of her husband. Luke felt the moment when his identity clicked in her brain.

She moved forward rapidly, so quickly that Obi-wan couldn't interfere. She threw her arms around Vader's chest and clutched her husband close to her, "Anakin, I'm all right. I'm fine, just fine. You made a huge mistake but I'm Ok. Please Ani, don't hurt yourself. Please."

Vader froze in place, his Force sense a seething, roiling mass of confusion, grief, and then, tentative hope.

"Padme? Padme, is that really you?"

"Yes, Anakin, it's me. Oh, Ani, I love you so much…"

Luke stepped rapidly around the corner and used one wiry arm to haul Doctor Sert into the room, "His breathing mask is broken. Can you get him another one?"

Vader didn't notice as his son and doctor carefully and quickly removed the broken mask from his face and rapidly replaced it with an intact one.

He was too focused on clutching his wife to his chest, his head lowered, his scarred voice choked by sobs.

/-/-/-/

 _Corridor outside of Darth Vader's_ new _ICU room_

"He wasn't trying to hurt anyone," Luke said firmly.

"I believe that, Skywalker," General Dodonna responded just as firmly, "But the reality is that he could have caused serious injury to Doctor Sert or indeed anyone else in the room aside from a Force user. And even you could have been harmed. I will not take responsibility for him being on the _Liberty_ anymore. It isn't a legitimate risk for the rest of the crew."

Luke sighed and looked around. He and Obi-wan had successfully guided his parents out of the previous med room and they were now installed in another ward. Luke, Leia, the Organas, and General Dodonna were having a literal "stand-up meeting" in the corridor adjacent to the new room, as no one was inclined to walk away from Vader and Padme. Doctor Sert and Medic Fentesto, plus the Mon Calamari Doctor Klantu, were in the med room, keeping a wary eye on the Dark Lord while also listening in on the meeting. Vader himself, while conscious, was clearly not entirely lucid. He continued to sob in relief and guilt while clutching his wife, who kept murmuring comforting words into his damaged right ear. Luke, who had been watching closely, noted that his father was instinctively gentle with Padme, making sure that his prosthetic hands didn't grip her too tightly.

General Rieekan hurried in, showing all the signs of a man who had been woken from a much needed nap. His hair was somewhat mussed and one edge of his collar stood up. Luke allowed himself a slight smile as Breha Organa moved forward with the familiarity of long friendship and carefully adjusted the General's collar.

The Queen moved away and there was a collective moment of silence, as if all were waiting for someone else to speak.

Obi-wan broke the silence, "If I may, I would request a medical update from the staff. I believe that will make it easier for us to determine the wisest next step."

There was an awkward pause, and then Doctor Sert stepped forward, "As I told Kenobi previously, I did not treat Lord Vader while I served aboard the _Devastator_. I have no data about his injuries of 19 years ago. It is clear from my scans and analysis of his current condition that his wounds are very significant including burning, scarring, organ impairment, and damaged lungs, which is of course the reason for the mechanized breathing. The impairment from long ago resulted in an underlying medical fragility, and his injuries during the crash in the landing bay of the Imperial corvette, plus the low dose of Retolivan 96 he was injected with, caused a nearly perfect storm of medical conditions. I have little doubt that he would have died without the help of the bone marrow injection.

"Having said all that, it is not surprising that after a lengthy time unconscious, Lord Vader is experiencing a mental crisis. I am not a psychologist, I want to emphasize that. But given Lord Vader's response upon waking up, I believe he is experiencing some kind of flashback to an extremely traumatic time in his life. Perhaps after he was burned and placed in the life support suit."

Luke spoke up in agreement, "I doubt you all were able to hear it through his breathing mask, but he said that Sidious told him that he killed Padme. I think that he woke up in the life support suit 19 years ago, in agony, and was told that he had murdered his wife and unborn child."

"Why would he think he killed his wife and children?" Dodonna demanded.

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Obi-wan said slowly, "After Vader turned to the Dark Side, he traveled to Mustafar at Palpatine's command to treacherously kill the Separatist leadership, who had been working for Palpatine all along. Padme knew where Anakin had gone, and I stowed away on her ship. They argued on Mustafar and when I appeared at the top of the landing ramp of Padme's ship, Vader assumed she had betrayed him. He…choked her into unconsciousness. After our battle, after I left him burning on the edge of the lava flows, I rushed Padme to Polis Massa where she gave birth to the twins and lapsed into a coma. I am sure that Luke is correct; he woke up in the suit and Sidious told him she had died at his hand to further increase his hold on Anakin."

The Generals looked horrified, and Dodonna said, "So Vader attacked her. Can we possibly allow them to be together? We can't be sure she is safe with him when he is so unstable."

"He will not harm her," Luke said firmly. He knew this to the depth of his being, "He has lived with the guilt of being responsible for her death for 19 years. She is his anchor now. I beg you not to separate them. He will recover far more quickly if he has repeated evidence that she is alive and mostly well. I promise you that I am willing to spend as much time as is needed with them both while my father recovers mentally."

"But will he recover?" Rieekan demanded, "Doctor Sert? Doctor Klantu?"

Sert glanced at the Mon Calamari, but Klantu gestured to indicate that the human doctor should speak.

"Scans show some damage to Lord Vader's brain, though much of it has 'fixed itself' through neural rewiring. Perhaps that is a function of this mysterious Force power shared by some of you. But there are areas of his brain that appear to have sustained recent damage," Sert said carefully.

There was a long pause, and then Leia said heavily, "So what you are saying is that both Darth Vader and Padme Naberrie Skywalker have brain damage."

"In short, yes, Princess Leia."

Doctor Sert looked sympathetically at both twins, "I am sorry. But I do want to encourage you that your f…that Lord Vader may recover entirely in a short amount of time. We have medical protocols that have proven very helpful…"

"CGA1629?" Luke interrupted wryly. The thought that both of his parents might need that medication seemed beyond belief.

"Or something similar," Sert agreed with an encouraging smile, "There are different protocols for different situations. At the very least, he is conscious now. Your mother was, I believe, in a coma for 15 years. His outlook is far better."

Dodonna spoke up, "Accepting all that, we still have a very serious problem. Suppose he does eventually wake up entirely cognizant. Who is he, anymore? The loving husband of a woman he adores? A father? A Sith Lord? A valuable ally? A menace? Given how much damage he inflicted I continue to maintain that he is too dangerous to be on board unless he is imprisoned under the highest security possible."

Luke tensed but Kenobi spoke before he could open his mouth, "Generals, I agree that Vader can no longer stay here."

Luke turned in surprise, but Kenobi lifted a hand to him and continued, "And you can forget trying to imprison him. You have nothing on board that could hold him. I believe I have a viable solution. Luke and I have been working on Luke's Jedi training, but conditions here on this ship are not ideal as there are many interruptions. I propose that the Alliance set aside a small ship for the use of Vader, Padme, Luke, me, the Lars, the droids, and the two Imperial medical staff assigned to Padme. We will leave the _Liberty_ and the Alliance for now, and will be able to roam freely, though of course we'll keep in periodic contact with the Rebellion. Vader will thus not be a danger to anyone except those of us on the ship, and he is deeply committed to his family, so I believe we will be safe. Luke and Vader and Padme will be safer from Palpatine who, I assure you, is no doubt hunting for at least Luke and Vader."

He turned to Princess Leia, "You are of course free to accompany us, but I assume you'd rather stay here with your parents."

"Indeed I would," she said, though with a longing look at her brother, "Perhaps we can rendezvous with you on occasion."

General Dodonna spoke up, "All of this is going a trifle too fast for me. Kenobi, your suggestion has great merit, but the Alliance is cash strapped. We can't spare any appropriate ships right now and we don't have the money to obtain more."

Medic Fentesto, who had been standing nearby, spoke up now, surprising everyone, "Lord Vader entrusted three coded account cards to me on behalf of his wife and children, though he deflected Princess Leia's biological relationship to himself rather cleverly. I didn't know until the princess announced it herself. Perhaps there are enough credits to assist."

Sert nodded and added, "I too have cards for all three of them. Lord Vader specifically stated that he wanted the credits to be used for his family's care in the event of his death or incapacitation."

Both Imperials pulled cards out and handed them to the twins. Luke cautiously used his thumbprint (obviously obtained nefariously by his father) to open the account card. The value there made him gasp incredulously.

"One million credits?" he said in disbelief, "Can that be right?"

Leia, who had opened her own account card, stepped over and looked at the figure there, "No, that's not right, twin. You missed a zero."

Luke froze. Ten million credits? It couldn't be. Did anyone have _that many credits_?

Kenobi shook his head fondly, "Your father is an incredibly rich man, Luke. The third richest in the galaxy. Assuming all six cards have the same amount – well, even sixty million credits is just a fraction of his wealth. But it will buy an appropriate vessel, will it not, Generals?'

Dodonna and Rieekan exchanged glances, and Rieekan nodded, "Indeed it will. Many many times over."

/-/-/-/

 _3 days later_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Prince Xizor's office_

Xizor nursed his drink of Idlewil liquor even as he pored over the data streaming in from the Outer Rim about Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, and Luke Skywalker.

He was enjoying himself, he realized. As he had climbed the leadership ladder of the Black Sun crime syndicate, he had of necessity turned over most of the analysis of detailed information to his underlings. That was unavoidable but regrettable. He was extremely gifted at teasing out hidden connections between random bits of data, seeing connections and sensing underlying relationships. It felt good to look at a specific problem (or opportunity, depending on one's point of view) instead of keeping a general but intense eye on galactic affairs on the whole.

He felt entirely justified at dealing with this information personally, with Guri's help, because this situation was complex and, indeed, fraught with potential ion mines. He was investigating the origins of Lord Darth Vader and the past and present location of both the Dark Lord and his presumed son Luke Skywalker.

Xizor leaned back and steepled his hands thoughtfully. Much had poured in about the younger Skywalker's history, most of it incredibly dull. If the boy was Vader's son, he certainly had been raised in harsh and disadvantaged environment. Curious, that, but Xizor could only assume the intention had been to hide the young man from his father.

As for the father– well, Xizor had been rather surprised to discover that the man himself had been a slave until age 9.

Xizor's face creased slightly in disgust. For a slave to rise to the position of second-in-command of the galaxy was its own travesty. The ugly reality was that Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, was not fit to rule. No one raised under such circumstances was fit to rule. It took early education, sufficient wealth, and the nurture and guidance of a wise society to make an individual capable of guiding and directing the masses.

Xizor would be doing the galaxy a favor when he rid it of Darth Vader and his son.

And he would have revenge against the man who had destroyed most of his family on Falleen.

There was a gentle chime, and the door slid open to reveal Guri, who entered and stopped in front of Xizor's desk, assuming the parade rest position.

Xizor finished reading his latest report in a leisurely manner, and then looked up at his human replica droid second-in-command.

"Well, did you learn anything from the Jumerian?" he inquired.

Guri nodded, "Yes, my prince. The Jumerian was tasked more than a year ago to pay a visit to the Lars' homestead after the Lars failed to pay Jabba his yearly protection tax. The Jumerian observed the middle aged woman living with the Lars. She was introduced as Beru Lars's cousin. However, I checked our records of Beru Whitesun Lars a few minutes ago, and no one matches the woman's description."

"Did the Lars provide a name for her?"

Guri cocked her head and shook it slightly. Xizor noted again with interest how well Guri passed for fully human. That movement was quintessentially human. He focused in on her words.

"The Jumerian was indifferent to her name and indeed only noted Owen Lars's name on the taxation report. However, after sufficient plying of alcohol laced with the memory drug, he dredged up the name Beru Lars used to address the woman."

"And it was?"

"Padme," Guri replied calmly.

 _Author Note: What can I say, Xizor is a jerk. Yeah, right, only the rich and privileged are worthy to rule. Whatever you say, you jackass._

 _Thanks again to my husband Kevin for his assistance with this fanfic. I forgot to give him credit for the "_ _Oh how he loved freshly changed sheets…" in the previous chapter; that line still makes me chuckle_.

 _And thanks also to those reviewing. It is a tremendous encouragement to me when you all let me know you are enjoying the story._


	28. Chapter 28

_3 days later_

 _The_ Liberty' _s Main Hanger Bay_

Luke Skywalker saw his sister the moment she entered the hanger bay. They were on a tight schedule and the _Millennium Falcon_ needed to lift off in the next ten minutes; he was very glad that Leia had made it.

She obviously was as well, because she broke into a run and threw herself into her twin's arms.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Leia said softly, "You know, meetings."

Luke set her back down on her feet and grinned with some discomfort, "Gotta love those meetings."

Leia sensed his unease, "Is something wrong?"

Luke blushed slightly and said softly, "We have a lot of people looking at us. I think they think we might be a couple, you know? Which is embarrassing and wrong on so many levels."

Leia quickly looked around with her patented glare, and the many Alliance crewmen who had been openly staring were suddenly very busy working on their ships.

Satisfied, she turned back to Luke and grinned a little, "You were the one wanting to keep me a big secret."

"And I still do," Luke said firmly but softly, "Those who know the truth are keeping their mouths shut, and I'm grateful. A secret you remain for as long as possible."

Han Solo suddenly appeared behind them. Luke was slightly startled, as he had been too focused on his sister to note the man's approach through the Force.

"Ah, Captain Solo, how charming to see you again," Leia said in her frostiest tone.

"Yeah it is, isn't it? Princess, it sounds like you've missed me, which isn't surprising. You need someone authentic to hang out with after days stuck in meetings with politicians. You should come on board the _Falcon_ one of these evenings and I'll serve you dinner. Chewie's a great cook."

Leia looked startled for a moment, and then her mouth widened into a crafty smile, "My, my, my Captain Solo, are you, smuggler extraordinaire, petty criminal, debtor to Jabba the Hutt, possibly asking _me_ out on a date?"

Han Solo was apparently immune to such maneuvers, "You better believe it, Princess, so long as Luke doesn't mind, of course."

Luke grinned at his sister and said firmly, "I definitely don't mind."

Leia looked indignant, but Luke leaned over and whispered into her ear, "He's a fine and brave man, Leia. Give him a chance."

He then straightened up and, with a last smile at his sister, said, "Let's go, Captain Solo."

/-/-/

The _Varykino_ floated in space outside the _Liberty_.

She had been named something else, but when the Alliance had graciously presented her to Kenobi and crew (in exchange for the use of a large number of Vader's credits), Padme had asked if she could be renamed the _Varykino_ , in honor of the Naberrie's lake retreat on Naboo where Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie had married.

The _Varykino_ was a small cruiser, approximately three to four times larger than the _Millennium Falcon_. She had been built by the Corellian Engineering Corporation some 13 standard years earlier, had reasonable shielding and armor, and augmented weapons. She was nondescript, the sort of ship that could flit around in the near space of most highly populated worlds without attracting much attention. The Alliance had provided false codes for her, and groups of technicians had worked overtime to install appropriate medical facilities for Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker?) and Padme Naberrie Skywalker. The living spaces and sleeping arrangements were in disorganized shambles as most of the furniture and equipment were still on pallets and in boxes, but Luke and his family would be able to organize the spaces once they were in lightspeed. For now, it was imperative that Luke accompany his aunt and uncle to the _Varykino_ and get out of here.

For the Rebellion was evacuating Yavin and its environs, and Luke knew that the Alliance High Command would all breathe easier once the erratic former Jedi turned Sith Lord turned Who Knows What was no longer around to potentially wreak havoc.

The Rebellion had already planned to leave Yavin, as its proximity to Krylon meant that it was all too likely that scout ships searching for the Alliance's base would enter Yavin space. That possibility had become reality only 4 hours ago, when a lone long range TIE fighter had dropped out of hyperspace near Yavin. The pilot had promptly attempted to flee but had been destroyed. However, the evacuation was now accelerated as no one knew whether the TIE had been able to send out a distress signal before its destruction.

Luke settled himself into a seat in the main living area of the _Millennium Falcon_ and closed his eyes as the _Falcon_ lifted into space on the way to the _Varykino,_ which was too large to fit in the _Liberty_ 's landing bay.

He felt a brush in the Force from his sister, and reached out to her with a final caress.

" _Farewell for now, twin_ ," he sent to her.

" _I love you, Luke. Be careful. Good-bye."_

/-/-/-/

 _Organas' suite, the Liberty_

Leia Organa stared out into space as the _Millennium Falcon_ attached to the _Varykino_. She sensed her brother move on board the _Varykino_ , and a few short minutes later, he was gone, along with her unstable biological parents, the old Jedi Kenobi, and the Lars, who were gamely sticking with Owen's stepbrother, his wife, and their Force sensitive son whom they had raised.

Leia started slightly and turned to see her mother, who was gazing at her with concern on her face.

"Are you all right, Leia?" Breha asked.

Leia nodded quickly, "I'm fine, Mother."

She turned back to the window, "I'll miss him, but I'm fine."

Breha slid her arm around her daughter's shoulders, "That is as it should be, my dear. Your strong bond to Luke is a blessing, one that your father and I feared we had prevented by participating in your separation at birth."

Leia opened her mouth and then shut it. She knew why, of course. She understood. It still hurt that she had lived the first 16 of her years separated from the vibrant love and light of her twin.

Breha continued briskly, "If you are up to it, I have some diplomatic documents I'd like you to read for me. You are remarkably adept at sensing deception, even through the words of a document, and I'm not sure about a Lannik clan that claims to desire allegiance with the Alliance."

Leia nodded. Hard work was the best cure for the loneliness of being separated from her biological family.

Just as she turned to follow her mother, she caught sight of the _Millennium Falcon_ approaching the _Liberty_ again. Solo had agreed to stay around for a few more days, at least, to assist the Alliance during the evacuation. For a good fee, of course.

Leia's mouth curved into a gentle smile. If she was going to be honest with herself, she thoroughly enjoyed Han Solo's company. And with Luke's blessing and encouragement…well, she would take Solo (and Chewbacca) up on the dinner invitation one of these days.

/-/-/

 _Prince Xizor's private office_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

Xizor's bowed deeply at the small holographic image of Emperor Palpatine, which was currently projected onto his greel wood desk, "It is truly my honor, my Master. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening, then."

"I too look forward to learning what additional progress you have made regarding the young Luke Skywalker, Prince Xizor," Palpatine's hologram rasped.

Xizor's ears quivered slightly in discomfort. He was a sophisticated individual, and had a particular enthusiasm for glorious singing and cultured voices. The Emperor's voice reminded him of the sound that Klatooine paddy frogs made during their mating season. He forced his face to remain calm and humble in spite of his irritation.

"Until tomorrow then, my Master," he said with a final, deep bow.

The hologram mercifully flickered out.

Xizor expended a long breath and sank into his desk chair. It spun, and he allowed himself the minor pleasure of spinning slowly in circles for a minute while he cogitated and stared at the ceiling. He had paid a truly immense number of credits to have the office ceiling covered with a holographic view of the galaxy, a view so detailed that he could zoom in to see the literal landscape of a world if he wished. Right now, he was staring at the stars of the Core, soothed by their glorious swirl around the very center of the galaxy.

After this short rest break, he sighed and turned resolutely toward his desk. He must consider the recent information about Luke Skywalker. And Darth Vader. And Padme Naberrie.

Yes, Padme Naberrie of Naboo was almost certainly the middle aged woman who had lived with the Lars for the 3 years before Vader had descended on the pathetic moisture farm. Padme Naberrie had been guarded by Anakin Skywalker prior to the Clone Wars and recently discovered accounts uncovered by Guri indicated the two were 'very close'.

It didn't take a genius (and Xizor was, indeed, a genius) to infer the obvious. Padme Naberrie was Luke Skywalker's mother and had been Anakin Skywalker's lover.

So Vader had descended to Tatooine in search of the Death Star plans, found both a son and his son's mother, and had lost his already limited grasp on reason. That was the best and most reasonable assumption.

Information was power, and at this moment, Xizor had information that Palpatine did not. Furthermore, the Dark Falleen Prince had every intention of killing the young Skywalker, and it was not clear that Palpatine had a similar plan.

Indeed, it was all too likely that the Emperor, with his devotion to the ethereal and mysterious "Force", would prefer an uncultured farmboy with sensitivity to this bizarre power over Xizor, the sophisticated and experienced Falleen prince who oversaw Black Sun, the most powerful syndicate in the galaxy.

Xizor ground his teeth in frustration, but forced himself to release his irritation. Hot anger clouded judgement. Vader's short temper had both controlled and weakened the Dark Lord, and the Falleen prince had no intention of making similar mistakes.

The key was to pretend to fall in line with Palpatine's plans for the young Skywalker, while working behind the scenes to insure that the boy would not replace Xizor as second-in-command. That should not be difficult. The boy was young and uncouth, and certainly would not be able to quickly step into the role with Xizor intended to fill with distinction.

He nodded to himself. He would tell Palpatine about Padme Naberrie. Thus, his usefulness as purveyor of information would be obvious to his dark master. Additionally, the Emperor was notorious for sitting on his throne and directing his underlings to do most of the actual work in the galaxy. Padme Naberrie was from Naboo, the Palpatine's home planet. Palpatine would almost certainly have access to additional information about the former Queen and Senator of Naboo, which would give Xizor more leverage against both Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

/-/-/-/

 _The Varykino, in hyperspace, headed toward an "unknown destination"_

Darth Vader crawled with difficulty to consciousness.

What had happened? Where was he?

His last really clear memory was of being injected with something—that's right, Retolivan 96 - on the corvette _Disruptor_ after the destruction of the Death Star.

He was vaguely aware of other, more recent images – of a lovely and familiar woman, her glorious voice pleading with him, of an emotional storm so severe that he had come to the end of all his reserves. Of a deep but surprisingly comforting darkness.

Where _was_ he?

A soft female voice spoke to his left, "The XP-38 landspeeder has many similarities to the X-34 model, but it has a closed cockpit with the capability for both heating and cooling, making the landspeeder capable of a more comfortable journey in both hot and cold environments. It's more bulky turbine engines also give it a 35% increase in power compared to the X-34.""

"That's awesome, Mother. Even the heating. Sometimes it gets cold at night on Tatooine."

"Luke, you're losing focus."

"Seriously, Ben, you want me to focus on lifting pebbles when Mother is telling me about the new XP-38?"

"I'm sorry, perhaps I should leave?"

"No, Padme, it is vital for a Jedi to be able to use the Force for levitation while simultaneously focusing on something else. You are being most helpful."

Padme?

Vader opened his eyes. He could tell he was in a reclined bed, and ahead of him was a largely featureless wall. Slowly, cautiously, fearfully, he turned his head. Belatedly, he noticed that he wasn't wearing his helmet, but instead had a breath mask attached to his lower face which was rhythmically pushing air into him at the usual rate of his helmet. He wasn't used to seeing with his natural eyes, and his vision was wavering slightly. But…

Padme was sitting next to him on a chair, her face lit up with a fond smile as she looked at…

Luke, their son, who was seated on the floor and intently focusing on a group of 10 pebbles, which he was struggling to keep in the air simultaneously. Even as Vader watched, he sensed Luke lose his concentration and all the pebbles fell to the ground.

Luke leaped to his feet, his eyes on Vader.

"How are you feeling, Father?" he asked anxiously, as he moved forward.

Padme turned as well, surprise and then delight reflected in her eyes. To Vader's amazement, his wife reached out her small hand he could feel her fingers grasp his large prosthetic hand.

"I am…well enough," he said cautiously. His voice sounded strange as well, though he could talk. Obviously his medical care had involved inserting some device which augmented his natural voice, which had been damaged at Mustafar.

He didn't know what was going on, or how long he had been lying unconscious and unprotected. It made him feel vulnerable and he despised being vulnerable. But it appeared that his family had been looking after him.

Which was embarrassing and ironic, as he had been determined to look after them.

Obi-wan stepped forward, "How much do you remember, Anakin?"

Vader shook his head slightly, then realized that his normal antipathy to his old name was now gone completely.

"You've been unwell and mostly unconscious for about 9 days, Ani," Padme chimed in, "So you are probably feeling a little disoriented."

Her smile grew impish now, "Don't worry about it, my dear. I'm disoriented a lot of the time and it isn't as bad as it seems."

Obi-wan stood up now and spoke to his son, "I'll go get Doctor Sert. Why don't you fill your father in on recent events?"

Outside Vader's large room, Obi-wan quickly stepped into the main living area. Owen and Beru Lars were working together to put together a second food processing unit which had been deposited on the _Varykino_ in a crate. It was apparently being recalcitrant, given the mild insults Owen was directing at it.

Both Doctor Sert and Medic Fentesto were peering at images on a screen, and Obi-wan vaguely heard them muttering obscure medical terms to one another.

"Lord Vader is awake," Kenobi said, and turned to lead them back to Vader's room.

He was relieved to sense that his old friend was feeling less distressed now. Luke's calm explanation of the last 9 days had apparently soothed the former Sith Lord.

Now Vader seemed more astonished than anxious.

"Your sister…donated bone marrow…to me?"

Luke nodded in affirmation, "Yes. I wasn't a match or I would have done it. No one forced her or even pressured her, Father. She felt it was the right thing to do so she did it."

There was a pause and then Vader sat up more and swung his legs over the side of the bed so that he was sitting up.

The two Imperial medical staff stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Lord Vader, we are pleased to see you conscious and cognizant again," Doctor Sert stated formally.

"You have done well, Doctor, Medic," Vader stated, "I want a full report of my medical condition as soon as is possible."

Obi-wan hid his smile. Even this was a new and gentler Vader. The old one would have demanded a report _instantly_.

Sert responded with a mixture of eagerness and nervousness, "My Lord, the Medic and I have it for you now. In addition to your current medical status, we have analyzed your long term medical issues from your injuries of 19 years ago and…have some suggestions. Whether you follow up any of those suggestions is, of course, entirely up to you, my Lord."

Vader silently held out his hand and the holopad in Medic Fentesto's hand leaped into the Dark Lord's left hand.

The former Sith opened up the report and began reading. The seconds, then minutes crawled by. Luke sat down next to his father and placed a comforting hand on his father's left arm, even as Padme kept her grip on Vader's right hand.

Finally, Vader clearly finished reading the report. His head bowed slightly and he stared at his own prosthetic limbs for another long minute.

"So the Emperor…?" he finally said.

"Yes, my Lord. Our analysis is that after your severe injuries of 19 years ago, you were placed in life support far too quickly and with insufficient treatment of both your burns and internal injuries," Doctor Sert said.

He hesitated for a moment and then added with difficulty, "I assume you are in significant pain much of the time, my Lord. It is neither inevitable nor medically ethical for you to be experiencing such complications from your injuries. There are treatments that can assist greatly to improve your overall health."

There was a quiet moment. Luke sensed anxiety in the medical staff and Obi-wan. Luke was grieved at his father's pain and medical issues, but he wasn't afraid. He could sense that Padme was having her usual effect on Anakin. She held his hand, and he held hers, and he was not giving into what would have been a perfectly reasonable rage at the thought of the last unnecessarily agonizing 19 years.

"Very well, Doctor," Vader said softly, "I welcome your suggestions."


	29. Chapter 29

_Imperial Dining Room_

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

 _1 day later_

Darth Sidious entered the dining room to find Prince Xizor and his replica droid bodyguard on their knees. The Falleen prince held a posture of complete humility, his usually proud head ducked low in submission.

Palpatine smiled slightly at this, then turned his gaze to the bodyguard Guri. She too bowed in apparent meekness, but of course for a droid it was merely excellent programming. The Emperor frowned slightly. It was slightly odd, and perhaps even a little unnerving, to be confronted by the droid's human appearance juxtaposed on a dead spot in the Force.

"Rise, Prince Xizor," Palpatine rasped.

Xizor rose, while the droid Guri remained in a bowed position.

"Your bodyguard will wait outside during our meal and conversation, Prince Xizor," Palpatine ordered.

There was the faintest flicker of something in the Falleen's eyes. Anger? Fear?

Obediently, the Dark Prince spoke to the droid, "Wait in the outer corridor."

"Yes, my prince," Guri replied as she rose, then turned to the Emperor and bowed more elaborately, "Your Highness."

She glided out with her typical grace.

"Please, be seated," Palpatine said with a wave of his hand. It was time to be gracious now, after asserting his authority over the Falleen.

It was a dance, really, this delicate forging of relationship between himself and his new second-in-command. Darth Vader had been such a wreck after his ordeal on Mustafar, originally physically, later emotionally, that Palpatine hadn't bothered with much subtlety in their arrangement. Vader was his slave, bluntly, though a very rich and powerful one.

The Falleen would prove different, Sidious knew. He was many years older than Vader, and far shrewder. Not that Vader was an idiot – the man was actually very intelligent, but the former Anakin Skywalker had always been more of a blunt than fine instrument.

Xizor sat as directed, keeping his face calm, attentive, and humble. He too understood well the subtle dynamics of this meeting. He had attached himself to Palpatine long ago at the dawn of the Empire, sensing that the man had the ability to exert nearly total power over the galaxy. And he had been correct. Slowly, over the years, Xizor's power and influence had grown. And with Vader's dramatic fall from grace, he had stepped into the next slot.

Eventually, of course, he would make the final move and seize power and become Emperor himself. But that was a long way off.

There was a gentle chime and a side door opened. A bevy of serving staff stepped forward and began serving the Emperor and Xizor.

It was, of course, the very best of food and Xizor was impressed, even given his long history as a noted gourmet. The wine (whose label he recognized as being an extremely rare Clone Wars vintage) was a delicate white, the appetizers were made of meat from the rare Naboo giant strab, and the soup, Palpatine told him, was served to the Queen of Naboo upon her coronation and no other time.

"I, of course, convinced the Royal Cook of Naboo to share the recipe," the Emperor said with a feral grin.

Palpatine lifted wine to his lips, took a gracious sip, and said courteously, "So, Prince Xizor, what was your opinion of the new opera at the Galactic Opera House? I know you attended the premier."

Xizor paused and took a sip of his own wine, savoring it with relish. He was a connoisseur, and it was a pleasure to serve a master who, while brutal in his methods, was cultured in his tastes.

"The plot was excellent, your Highness, and the pageantry and costumes alive and dramatic. I was disappointed with the lead singer, regrettably. While he used to be the very best in the galaxy, I fear his gifts are diminishing with age."

This too, was calculated. Xizor knew that Palpatine had chosen the lead singer for the opera, which was a thinly disguised retelling of Palpatine's rise to Emperor and Savior of the galaxy. To question Palpatine's choice was a very slight show of independence but not, the prince was certain, enough to bring on punishment.

The Emperor's yellow eyes narrowed slightly. (Why were his eyes yellow, anyway? It was odd.)

"Perhaps you are right, Prince," he murmured, "Do you have another suggestion?"

The following 5 minutes included an amiable discussion of the operatic stars of the galaxy, and was interrupted when the door slid open to reveal three beings.

The first, Xizor vaguely remembered as his moonglow chef. The man had worked at the Manarai restaurant, which Xizor partially owned, for several years. While Xizor had only met him two or three times, the moonglow chef's employment attracted some of the best clientele to the Manarai, and was a source of pride to its staff.

But to keep Palpatine happy, Xizor could find someone else. Eventually. Someone who was well trained and _completely_ reliable.

For moonglow, while exquisitely delicious, was possibly the most dangerous food in the galaxy. It was a small fruit, the size of a human fist, found only in one small forest on one small world far, far away from Coruscant.

It was extremely poisonous in its raw form, and had been responsible for the horrifying death of more than one unsuspecting immigrant to its planet of origin. When prepared properly, however, the poison could be removed through a careful 97 step process, resulting in one of the finest, and most expensive, meals in the galaxy.

The chef moved forward, bearing a silver plate with a delicate glass cover in the shape of the Imperial seal. He bowed low before Palpatine, and placed the dish reverently in front of the Emperor. He was followed by a stern faced Imperial official, who paused next to the chef.

The third man, another server, carried a platter which he placed before Xizor.

Fleek eel. It was a favorite dish of Xizor's, and he appreciated the gesture. The moonglow was exclusively for the Emperor at this meal, but the Falleen prince was being served a pleasant and expensive meal as well. It was, again, all part of the dance.

The Emperor smiled slightly, his thoughts mirroring Xizor's. Yes, he was enjoying this. The Falleen prince definitely had his gifts, and certainly talking with him was far more interesting than discussing starfighters with Darth Vader. Vader had always been the sort of man more excited about a landspeeder manual than the glories of opera. Perhaps appreciation for opera required a longer and more abiding evil streak, he mused.

Sidious glanced at the third man, who had thus far remained silent, and lifted one inquiring eyebrow. The officer nodded firmly, then gently grasped the moonglow chef's arm and guided him out. The third servant left as well, leaving the Emperor and Xizor alone.

The Emperor smiled and lifted a chunk of moonglow to his mouth. It was incredible even to his aged taste buds. Really, he should have stolen the chef a long time ago.

And the meal was, he knew, completely safe. Unlike the patrons of the Manarai, Darth Sidious was not willing to take even a minute chance that the chef made a mistake in the preparation of the moonglow. Thus, the man had been required to eat several bites of the dish a full hour before. The poison was quick acting, and the fact that the chef was alive and well meant that he had, indeed, done his job to perfection.

Sidious suppressed a slight moan of delight. He gave a slightly pitying glance at Xizor, who seemed to be enjoying his fleek eel but had to know that the Emperor had by far the better dish.

Which was as it should be. He was, after all, the most powerful, most important man in the galaxy. Possibly the most powerful and important man the galaxy had ever seen.

The Dark Prince lusted for the number one position, as ridiculous as that was. Only a strong Force sensitive could topple Sidious. But Xizor was arrogant and incredibly ambitious, as well as Force blind. He was incapable of understanding that reality.

/-/-/-

 _A small hanger bay in Imperial City_

Kat Sloani was breathing hard, far harder than she should be after a rapid walk through the slightly derelict streets of this section of Imperial City.

The truth was, she was scared to death. Maybe she wasn't really cut out for this secret agent stuff.

A sudden hand on her arm caused her to gasp in terror. She turned suddenly, tugging, only to relax when she recognized her friend Lika.

"Did you do it, Kat?" he demanded in a soft tone.

She just nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Then come, we need to leave right away," Lika said, and pulled her toward the nondescript freighter sitting on the pad.

"My family?" Kat gasped out as she moved rapidly toward the ramp.

"They are safe, I promise you, Kat."

/-/-/-

 _Emperor Palpatine's private sitting room_

 _Adjacent to the dining room_

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Imperial City_

"Please, sit down," Palpatine said graciously.

Xizor sank obediently onto the chair, even as he cast a covetous eye at the leather. Gorraslug, but not the typical kind. No, of course Palpatine had chairs made from the leather of the rare blue gorraslug.

"So, Prince Xizor, do you have any additional information about the young Skywalker?" Palpatine demanded.

The prince turned his attention to the Emperor and nodded courteously.

"My master, I have vital information that I hope will be of great use to you. You may remember that there were reports of an additional individual, a middle aged female, living with the Lars' family for the three years prior to Vader's descent onto Tatooine."

"What of it?" Sidious demanded. He had a vague sense of unease. If Xizor really had uncovered something new and momentous, it was disquieting that the Sith Lord had not sensed such a thing in his probing of the Force earlier today. He really must deal with Vader soon. His former apprentice continued to recover in strength, and the skeins of prophecy and knowledge continued to be tangled, twisted, and confused by the growing Light blasting through the fabric of the Force.

Xizor leaned back and waited a moment, then continued softly, "The woman has been positively identified, my Master. She is Padme Naberrie of Naboo. I believe she is Luke Skywalker's mother, and Vader's former lover."

Darth Sidious froze in incredulous disbelief.

Padme Naberrie alive.

Well, yes, if the child lived perhaps the mother lived as well.

If Padme was alive…well, that really was quite a problem. Because Padme had always been Vader's weak point. 19 years ago, she had been a convenient weakness. But this time? If the woman was even moderately lucid, she could probably convince that pathetic idiot to do almost anything. Anakin Skywalker had been completely enamored with the woman, to the point of _marrying_ her, and her "death" had cemented Sidious's hold on Vader.

"You are certain?" he suddenly barked, causing Xizor to start in surprise.

The Falleen recovered quickly, however.

"Yes, my master. We learned that the woman's name was Padme, and after obtaining a holo of Padme Naberrie, we confirmed her identity with several individuals who entered the Lars' home, mostly tradesmen and agents for Jabba the Hutt."

Again, there was silence. The Emperor's lips hardened into a thin line, and his teeth ground together.

"Yes, Prince Xizor," he finally said in a tone that would have frozen Mustafar itself, "That is indeed most useful information."

/-/-/

 _4 hours later_

 _Aboard the Varykino_

 _In orbit around one of the moons of Trinovat_

 _Darth Vader's room_

Darth Vader was deep in sleep, and dreaming.

Padme was there, and he was too – but not the worn out, burned, broken man that he was now but the man he used to be – young, vibrant, handsome, strong. Hopeful.

They were on Naboo together, standing in the field where they had picnicked one day, staring at the waterfalls and watching the rainbows in the mists.

He suddenly felt Padme's small but strong arm around his waist and he turned to look at her.

"I love you, Ani, and I always will," she said with a smile.

"I love you too, Padme. Thank you…for forgiving me. I'm so sorry."

"I know."

Padme stood on her tiptoes to kiss her husband on the lips. For one long, glorious moment, he reveled in her sweet scent, in her kiss, in her hair which brushed against his hands.

Then suddenly, she pulled away, her eyes wide with horror. Vader spun around. The waterfalls were no longer there, but instead a dark, roiling, twisting mass was approaching them, a mass filled with forked lightening and malevolence. He reached out his hands, attempting to draw on the Force, but instead the Dark Presence of Darth Sidious seemed to cling harder to him through their bond.

And then he and Padme were torn apart. He was alone, but not alone. Sidious was there, but his master was a raging torrent of anger and spite and yes, terror. He felt the liquid pain of Mustafar, and the crawling agony of Force lightning. His mind was ripped apart by the anguish of a thousand deaths, intense hatred battering his fragile soul. His spirit grew cold with despair.

"Father, Father!"

"Anakin, Anakin!"

He felt hands shaking him and he battled and struggled his way through water and fire and ice and cloud, following his son's bright light into consciousness. The terror and horror were still plucking at him, but at least he was awake. And Padme was leaning over him, her eyes wide with concern, but she was all right.

"Father, what is it?" Luke gasped, obviously sensing his sire's distress.

"Sidious," Vader choked out, "Sidious."


	30. Chapter 30

_Prince Xizor's Palace_

 _Imperial City_

Xizor was in deep sleep when the door opened abruptly and the soft "night lights" of his bedroom came on.

The Falleen prince sat up in surprise and anger.

"This had better be important," he snarled at Guri. After his exhausting meeting with Palpatine, which had ended only 3 hours ago, he really needed his rest.

Guri approached and assumed a parade rest position, "Indeed, it is, my prince. There are reports from the Imperial Palace that Emperor Palpatine is destroying much of the palace in an apparent Force frenzy. That in itself is not too surprising or alarming, perhaps, but I have just received word that the moonglow chef who prepared the meal tonight has been taken seriously ill. Did you eat any moonglow, my prince?"

Prince Xizor stared at Guri incredulously, then leaped out of bed and rapidly donned on a synthsilk robe.

"No, I didn't. Get me a direct line to the hospital where the chef is being treated," he ordered, "And have my shuttle standing by."

/-/-/

 _The Varykino_

 _Darth Vader's room_

Vader was trembling, he realized. The bond between himself and Darth Sidious remained, though it had weakened considerably in the last several weeks. It was, he reflected gratefully, a _very_ good thing that his son was on hand to provide strength and guidance toward the Light, or Vader might never have escaped from that nightmare with sanity intact. That was like nothing he had ever experienced.

Obi-wan rushed into the room, an expression of uncertainty and fear on his face.

Luke clutched his father's arms with comforting and urgent hands, "Father, what is happening? What is the Emperor doing to you?"

Vader closed his eyes and reached _very_ carefully into the Force, analyzing, thinking, feeling…

He opened his eyes again and turned his head to stare directly at his son, "The Emperor is dying, Luke."

/-/-/-

 _The Rebel freighter_ Creation

 _In orbit around one of the moons of Metellos_

Captain Varkint of the Rebel Alliance waited anxiously while the small freighter attached to his own larger ship. One of his men was opening the pressure hatches to allow passengers from the other ship to enter his own.

He did _not_ want to be here. Metellos was both highly populated and very close to Imperial Center. It was not a safe place for a Rebel with a price on his head. But he'd received orders from a cell on Imperial Center that an important individual needed a quick escape, and Varkint's ship was the closest available ship.

One of his crew members commed him, "Ok, everyone is on board, let's go."

Varkint personally took the controls and guided his ship away from the moon. Behind him, the freighter suddenly disintegrated, no doubt due to a triggered self-destruct sequence.

The stars shrank into the lines of hyperspace. Varkint heaved a relieved sigh and turned as two individuals entered the control room.

The first, a man, held out a datapad, which contained the man's bona fide's as a Rebel agent.

The other individual was a dark haired young woman, with a slightly shell shocked expression on her face.

"Agent…Lika," Varkint said, "Welcome aboard. And this is…?"

He turned to the woman, who stared at him with wide eyes.

"This is Kat," Lika said with a fond smile, "She just poisoned Emperor Palpatine."

/-/-/-

 _Prince Xizor's office_

 _Imperial Center_

"Prince Xizor, the Emperor is completely… insane, it seems. At least 20% of the palace has been destroyed through the Force, and many hundreds have died. He is neither sending nor receiving messages. All attempts to approach him have failed."

The man on the other end of the holocall prided himself on his calm, but at the moment, Sate Pestage, Imperial Grand Vizer, looked completely panicked.

Xizor schooled his face into an expression of tranquil peace. This was a critical moment. If Palpatine died, and those poisoned by moonglow usually did die, there would shortly be a power struggle to take control of the Empire. It was imperative that he project strength and calm.

"Do you have visual holocams on the Emperor?" he asked courteously.

"No, Prince Xizor, we do not. He appears to have destroyed them all now. At the beginning of this crisis, we did see brief footage from his throne room indicating that he was experiencing a severe medical event. However, our master killed everyone who attempted to approach him at that time. After that, his frenzy increased in magnitude to the point that he destroyed the large section of the Imperial palace containing the throne room. It is rubble, and impassable without mechanical assistance. I welcome any suggestions as to a next step."

Xizor concealed a smile. Good, if Sate Pestage was coming to him for help, he could use that later during the inevitable conflict over Palpatine's successor. And there would almost certainly be a successor. It appeared that Palpatine was experiencing the hallucinatory symptoms of moonglow poisoning. It would almost certainly not be long now.

"I fear," Xizor said in his saddest tone, "That we can do nothing at the moment, Grand Vizier. His Royal Highness clearly perceives all attempts to help him as threats. We can only hope his incredible strength in the mighty Force allows him to heal himself from whatever affliction has stricken him."

/-/-/-

 _1 hour later_

 _The Varykino_

 _In orbit around one of the moons of Trinovat_

Darth Vader had spent the last hour seated in the main cabin, surrounded by his family and medical staff. All remained quiet watching him, while Luke and Obi-wan were lending their Force strength to keep him safe from Palpatine's increasingly frenzied thrashing in the Dark Side of the Force.

Abruptly, Darth Vader spoke, "He is dead."

Luke and Obi-wan exchanged glances, and both nodded.

"Yes, he is," Obi-wan Kenobi agreed incredulously, "Darth Sidious is dead."

 _24 hours later_

 _Imperial Holonet Station_

"This is Relinka Spetzv. It has been a dark and horrifying day for those of us on Imperial Center. It is my tragic duty to inform the citizens of the Empire that our beloved Emperor Palpatine is dead. Cray, it is really hard to find words on such a terrible day."

Cray Shifton nodded, his face wearing an expression of profound grief, "Relinka, it is indeed a tragic time for all us who loved and revered our mighty leader. I am sure there is much uncertainty and concern from the loyal citizens of the many worlds of the galaxy. I have spoken to both Prince Xizor, the Emperor's second in command, and Sate Pestage, the Imperial Grand Vizier, and they wish to assure everyone that the Empire will continue to shine as a beacon of strength and hope for the citizens of the galaxy. Indeed, during this is heartbreaking and terrible time, the leadership of the Empire will continue to work towards stability and prosperity for the beings of the galaxy."

/-/-/-

 _3 days later_

 _The Varykino_

 _In orbit around one of the moons of Trinovat_

"The Emperor was poisoned with moonglow," Leia Organa informed her enthralled audience.

Leia, Luke, Vader, Padme, Obi-wan, and Han Solo were seated in the main living area of the _Varykino_.

The Lars did not want any details of the Emperor's death and had retreated to their room. The medical staff was hidden away in their quarters, completely engrossed in updating their recommendations for Vader's potential medical procedures.

"What is moonglow?" Luke asked, "I've never even heard of it."

Solo spoke up, "It's a rare exotic fruit, very rare, very expensive. I smuggled it just once and made a lot of money. It has to be prepared by a special moonglow chef with like 100 steps, or it kills. It is incredibly poisonous. The final, safe dish is supposed to be one of the most delicious foods in the galaxy, but I wouldn't care to take the risk myself. "

"I'm sure that Palpatine would agree, if he were capable of talking right now," Kenobi said dryly.

"So, what, the moonglow chef messed up accidentally? Or deliberately?" Luke asked.

Leia glanced briefly at Han, then shook her head. She lowered her voice, slightly, even though there was no reason to, "No. I read the report right before we flew here, and it is amazing. Here is what happened.

"When Lord Vader escaped with us, Prince Xizor, the head of the Black Sun criminal syndicate, was promoted to second-in-command of the Empire. Palpatine, who fancied himself quite the cultured gourmet, insisted the Prince release his personal moonglow chef from the Prince's restaurant, the Manarai, into Palpatine's personal service.

"The Rebel Alliance, as you probably know, started out as a group of loosely connected cells. The cells have grown more organized and interconnected in the last few years, but many of the leaders of the cells still have autonomy to make decisions without consulting higher authority.

"The leader of a cell on Imperial Center heard that the Manarai's moonglow chef would be entering the Emperor's service in the Imperial Palace, and realized the potential of a security breach through the kitchen service. Most of the staff is intensely loyal to the Emperor, but this moonglow chef was just a brilliant chef, not a Palpatine enthusiast. Nor had he been through as many security protocols and training as the rest of the staff."

"But you said he didn't deliberately poison the moonglow," Padme inserted.

Leia smiled at her, briefly distracted. Her biological mother was doing _so_ much better. She was focused and clearly following the story. She exchanged a glance of silent joy with her twin, who sent a silent message back.

 _"_ _She's still not fully well, but she is much improved, Leia."_

Leia brushed away an errant, happy tear and got back to her tale, "No, he didn't poison the moonglow. But a fellow chef who came with him _did_. She was a close personal friend to one of the Rebel agents involved, though she didn't know he was a member of the Alliance beforehand. K – I'll call her K - volunteered to accompany the moonglow chef to Palpatine's palace, ostensibly out of gratitude to the chef for his guidance in developing her career and because she said she wanted to learn more from him. See, she was studying to become a moonglow chef as well!"

"So she poisoned it," Kenobi stated.

"Yes, but not by adding poison. That was our agents' initial idea, but actually, all staff members were scanned before entering the kitchens so it would have been difficult to do. K took it one brilliant step further. She distracted the moonglow chef long enough to add a tasteless, nominally harmless agent during one of the steps of the process of preparing the moonglow, and some of the poison wasn't neutralized properly. Furthermore, the change in the step changed the structure of the poison slightly such that the normal symptoms of the poison occurred far later than usual, too late for any kind of intervention. You see, she has been studying moonglow for years and she knew exactly what each step did! She was the perfect cooking assassin…

"Palpatine ate it and a few hours later he went into some kind of Force frenzy and took down half the palace, out of anger, or fear, perhaps…"

"He was hallucinating," Vader said suddenly. It was his first remark during this extraordinary tale.

Leia focused in on her biological father, "You know this?"

"Yes," Vader lifted his hand to touch his bald and scarred scalp, "Yes, I was asleep and Sidious followed our bond into my dreams. He tried to attach himself to me, to my strength. I have only known such sensations of horror once in my life, when I woke up after Mustafar and heard that I had killed Padme and my child."

He slightly tightened his grip on Padme's hands, "It was that kind of horror that pummeled me from Palpatine's hallucinations. I doubt he knew what was happening at that point. He has inflicted terrors on the galaxy and derived strength from his crimes. But in those last minutes of his life, memories of fear and pain and anguish and hatred from others surged through his mind one hundred fold. He was flailing around, lost, trying in vain to find a way to survive. Luke and your mother pulled me out of the connection between us…and then Obi-wan and Luke supported me in the Force until he died."

There was long moment of silence.

"What was K's motivation?" Luke finally asked, "It was obviously very risky."

Leia looked sad, "Her younger half-brother, the son of her mother by her mother's second husband. He was an artist, a brilliant prodigy, responsible for one of the murals on the outside of the Coruscanti theater. He was accused falsely of a crime as part of one of the Emperor's power games with one of the ruling families of Xorth, to whom he was distantly related. He was convicted and sent to the spice mines in spite of his obvious innocence. He lived only three months under brutal conditions, and died at age 25.

"She loved him very much."

There was another long pause.

"And so Darth Sidious dies in confusion and terror, at the hands of a bereaved woman," Vader finally said.

It was a fitting epitaph.

 **The Lull**

 _No, this isn't the end, but I am going on VACATION. So you won't see any updates for probably 2 weeks. But PLEASE do comment anyway. I will be following comments and really would appreciate feedback on this chapter. I have to plot out the rest of this fic and will work on it while I'm lolling on the beach._

 _Because, hey guys, I killed off Palpatine in a weird way! I must give credit to my teen daughter, who suggested 'poisoning' when I asked her for a good way to destroy our favorite senior Sith Lord._

 _And I decided it would be fun to have it be a random OC who managed the deed, not the Skywalkers – though I contend that they are responsible for the confusion in the Force which meant that Sidious was unable to foretell the poisoning. But Sidious was such a proud jerk, thinking that only a strong Force sensitive could bring him down. Actually, one of his nameless victims brought him down._

 _Hope you enjoyed it._


	31. Chapter 31

_Author Note: Thank you for your kind comments about the last chapter! I had a fantastic vacation on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, celebrating our 20_ _th_ _anniversary with my wonderful husband. And yes, I did have time to plot out most of the rest of this fic. We'll see how quickly I can write now that I'm back in the throes of family life!_

/-/-/-

 _3 days after the death of Emperor Palpatine_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

The girl jerked awake in horror, then sat up and brought her hands to her face in despair.

She had hoped and prayed that as time passed, the dreams – no, nightmares (or were they visions?) would subside. But if anything, they were getting worse. She hadn't slept more than a few minutes at a time in 3 days, and she felt her tenuous grasp on sanity slipping.

She could not go on like this. She needed help. But from whom? Her Master was dead. Those who served him were like a pack of Bogden Sungwas after the death of their leader. They postured even as they searched intently for signs of weakness in others, seeking not just survival but power in the aftermath of the Emperor's unexpected death.

The teen rolled out of bed and made her way, cautiously, to a holo terminal in the main area of the living quarters. It was well into the night cycle and all was quiet save for the measured whirr of a sentry droid. She had both training and experience in avoiding it.

Cautiously, she bypassed a security feature on the holonet. Hungrily, desperately, she searched for a single name.

 _Obi-wan Kenobi._

/-/-/-

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

Cray Shifton sent a harassed look at his Imperial Holonet co-anchor Relinka Spetvz, whose usually flamboyant hair and clothing were a dark brown today in honor of galactic wide mourning for the deceased Emperor Palpatine. Relinka was usually so reliable, but around Prince Xizor she was consistently gaga. And they had to talk to the Prince. On the air. Live.

Shifton groaned softly to himself. As if life wasn't complicated and stressful enough these days, with Palpatine's death and lots of interpersonal squabbling, both at the Holonet station and within the upper echelons of the Imperial government. He needed Relinka to be level headed. What was it with her and the Falleen prince?

At least the Holonet ratings were incredibly high. Most of the galaxy had watched the funeral footage of Palpatine. Shifton had had the dubious pleasure of seeing the Emperor in his jeweled casket up close, before the makeup artists had done their magic. It was an image that would likely haunt him for the rest of his life. Palpatine had definitely not died easily.

Shifton suppressed a shudder. Cray had eaten moonglow twice before in his life but never again. Never again. If that was what moonglow poisoning did to a human body, he wanted no part of it.

"Prince Xizor, what a pleasure, what an honor, to see you again," Relinka gushed with far too much enthusiasm.

Xizor's skin was a somber gray today, and his clothing an elegant but understated black. The Falleen was generating an air of gravity and sorrow that almost pulled Cray in as well. There was something odd about the Falleen prince, something attractive, something magnetic. He glanced to one side of the room, where the lovely Guri stood waiting with a solemn but sweet look on her face. Cray wouldn't mind getting to know her better but…best not. It wasn't clear exactly what Xizor's relationship with Guri was, but they were obviously close. Cray guessed he wouldn't live long if Xizor thought he was trying to snatch his girl.

He pulled himself together. He had a responsibility to his bosses, his coworkers, and his galactic wide audience to keep it together here.

"Prince Xizor, it is indeed an honor," he said much more calmly, "We understand that you are going to tell our viewers more details about the tragic end of Emperor Palpatine. We know that our beloved leader was poisoned by moonglow, but there is more to the situation?"

Xizor turned to face the holocam directly, even as he nodded soberly, "Yes. I am grieved to report that the Emperor's death was not a tragic accident, as originally believed, but instead a deliberate poisoning by a member of the kitchen staff. The assassin had a long standing vendetta against the Emperor because one of her family members was rightly imprisoned for crimes against the government. Obviously, there was a security breakdown which led to the horrifying and heartbreaking loss of our beloved leader. In view of this tragic event, a full security analysis will be completed and all those responsible for failing the Emperor will be duly tried, convicted, and executed."

"Indeed they will, starting with you," a voice announced from the side of the room.

Prince Xizor swung around quickly in astonishment.

Imperial Vizier Sate Pestage had quietly entered the room flanked by and officer and 8 guards, all of whom had blasters raised and pointed at Xizor (and Cray Shifton noted in alarm, himself and Relinka as well!)

The officer stepped forward and said coldly, "Prince Xizor, you are under arrest for the assassination of Emperor Palpatine. Put your hands slowly in the air and do not make any sudden moves."

Xizor stilled. Shifton, who was very close to him, saw a very slight movement of his right hand against a blue-green ring, but other than that he was completely motionless.

"This is completely ludicrous," Xixor said steadily, after a long moment, "Grand Vizier Pestage, you will regret this until the end of your short life. How dare you accuse me of such a treasonous action against my sovereign master on the live holonet?"

Pestage stepped forward, his teeth bared in a near snarl. Cray Shifton noted absently that his techs were doing their job; a large screen on the wall showed that the holocam view had pulled back to encompass the confrontation between Pestage and Xizor. The entire galaxy was watching this live, and Shifton guessed that the number of viewers was increasing by the millisecond. Assuming he survived this, he would glory in this as the newscast of the ages.

"It was you who hired the moonglow chef initially, you who 'gifted' him to the Emperor."

"My chef had nothing to do with the Emperor's death!" Xizor responded angrily, "Have you forgotten that the man ate a portion of the moonglow himself and died in agony a few hours after his Royal Highness?"

"Indeed, he is dead. How convenient. And this Kat Sloani whom you call an assassin? She too has most conveniently disappeared. No, Prince Xizor, it could only have been the arrogance of the Falleen that could lead you to believe we would go along so meekly with your ridiculous story. You were graciously raised to the position of second-in-command by our great leader, and you coldly and mercilessly used your moonglow chef to…"

Pestage abruptly broke off as the woman Guri suddenly leaped two meters from the side of the room where she had been cowering, and tackled him to the ground. Pestage shrieked in surprise and pain even as Guri rolled to her feet, dragging the Grand Vizier with her. In one hand, she held a blaster, which she pointed straight at Pestage's head.

"All of you, drop your weapons and back up," she said in a smooth tone which corresponded to the now blank look on her face.

"Now let's just take it easily, young lady" the officer began carefully.

Guri shifted rapidly and fired. The shot burned through the officer's chest and he collapsed on the floor, dead.

"Drop your weapons," Xizor ordered coldly.

Pestage spoke in a shaky tone, "Do as he says."

The troopers obediently released their weapons and stepped away.

Cray stood in shock as Xizor stepped forward to collect one of the blasters, then turned and shot out the holocams, cutting the live feed.

"My prince, we must escape the Imperial Palace immediately. Your ship is standing by and the Black Sun Fleet is ready to protect your departure," Guri said briskly.

Shifton stared at her in disbelief. There was something almost…alien about the woman now. And how had that little thing so easily taken out Pestage?

Xizor nodded, "Bring Pestage as a hostage, and break his neck if anyone interferes."

Pestage, whose face was now a pale green, sputtered out, "You will never escape, Xizor. This entire building is locked down!"

"Guri…" Xizor said, and gestured slightly.

The blond woman tightened her grip on Pestage's throat for ten long seconds, and the Grand Vizier's face shifted from green to blue. When the grip released, he panted in an agonized need for air.

"For your sake, Pestage, you had better hope that we escape this palace, or you will shortly be very dead."

Relinka suddenly interrupted by moving forward abruptly, nearly getting herself shot by Xizor in the process.

"Oh, Prince Xizor, please take me with you. I will serve you all the days of my life."

Cray saw a quick look of disdain on the Prince's face, but it smoothed out so quickly that later he wondered if he had imagined it.

"Indeed, Relinka," Xizor said in a gentle tone, "I wish I could. But I would not wish to expose you to such danger."

The besotted Holonet host opened her mouth in distress but Xizor continued on firmly, "You can best serve me here, my dear Relinka. You have just observed this treacherous attack on me from Grand Vizier Pestage. He obviously seeks the position of Emperor and was all too willing to accuse me falsely."

Pestage shifted just slightly, but remained silent, no doubt intimidated by the blaster poking into his head.

Relinka's face crumbled in disappointment, but she spoke up bravely, "Indeed, your Highness, your Majesty, I will serve you here until you take your rightful place as Emperor."

 _The Varykino_

 _The night cycle_

Darth Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, lay quietly on his inclined bed.

He relished the feeling of freedom from the mask. While under the domination of his former master, he had only been free from the mask in the hyperbaric chamber. He had been told that a simple oxygen mask was insufficient to provide the necessary breathing support for his damaged lungs.

That was even true, apparently, but Doctor Sert and Medic Fentesto had easily rigged up a replacement mask which forced oxygen into his lungs at a steady rate, allowing him to live with much of his face exposed to those around him.

The grotesque reality of his features was enough to encourage him to reach for his mask in shame, but incredibly, amazingly, most of those around him had quickly adjusted to his scarred visage. The Lars were obviously still uncomfortable around him, but he saw them rarely. Obi-wan still projected guilt, but it was muted enough that Vader could handle it. As for Luke and Padme, they appeared to be genuinely delighted to see his face and eyes and bald, scarred head.

Padme…

He shifted slightly and tightened his grip on his wife's slender body. She was lying with her head against his upper torso, her hair spread in casual glory around her shoulders. It seemed an uncomfortable position for her as his armor was hard and unyielding, but she had fallen asleep 2 hours ago and slept peacefully since then. He sensed through the Force that she was now waking up.

As usual, he felt trepidation. Padme had been full of love and forgiveness for weeks now, with the only exception being her tongue lashing aboard the _Devastator_ during her first awakening since he had discovered her. But one of these days, he feared she would wake up angry at him or, worse yet, terrified. He knew that while she was much improved even in the time since they met on Tatooine, she was still not entirely well mentally.

"Ani," she murmured softly, reaching her arm out to hug him more firmly.

"How are you feeling, Padme?" he asked tentatively, embarrassed as usual at the sound of his voice. He didn't miss the deep intimidating bass of the vocoder, but the new voice, while loud enough to be heard, was raspy. Definitely not euphonious.

Padme opened her eyes and sat up a little, smiling, "I'm fine, Anakin. It was a good nap. I hope I didn't disturb your sleep by lying on you like that."

"I love spending time with you, both awake and asleep," he responded in relief. She remembered who he was and was obviously happy to be with him. Most encouraging.

He hesitated, then continued carefully, "Padme?"

"Yes?"

"Padme, are you ever…afraid of me?"

Padme sat up fully now, and looked straight into his eyes, "Because you choked me on Mustafar?"

He swallowed hard and nodded. Trust Padme to come right to the point.

His wife lay back down a little, so they were no longer looking directly at each other.

"No, I'm not afraid of you, Anakin," she said so softly that he had to concentrate to hear her, "I am confident you'll never lash out at us like that again."

"I promise you with everything that I am that I will not," he pledged fiercely, even as his eyes longed to shed tears from ducts burned long ago.

There was a long pause and then Padme responded softly, "I know."

He could tell she was still drowsy.

He tightened his grip on her shoulder just a little, even as he stared solemnly at the wall across from his bed. It wasn't a perfect mirror, but he could see his own reflection – the bald head, the partial ears, the scars, the breathing apparatus. And Padme was still beautiful, looking far more like an older sister than a mother to the equally lovely Princess Leia, her daughter.

"You deserve better than me," he said softly to his wife, so softly that he didn't think she would hear him.

He was wrong.

She sat up again and pulled away from him, fixing his eyes with a firm and very lucid stare, "Anakin, I am not sure I deserve anything, but I want you, my Anakin. I didn't marry you for your looks or your power. I married you for you. All I ever wanted was for us to be together. Now we are together. Please don't give up on yourself, me, our children, or our marriage out of guilt and self-hatred. You can't change the past. You can strive for a better future."

Vader rolled carefully out of bed, being careful not to jostle Padme, and moved to look out the window at the twisting whorls of hyperspace.

3 months ago, the thought that he could come back to the Light was so ludicrous that it never so much as crossed his mind. He had been steeped in Darkness almost 20 years now.

Now, he could see what had happened so much more clearly. He had betrayed friends and family. He had pledged his allegiance to a malicious despot. His 'noble' desire to bring stability to the galaxy had instead brought terror and sorrow and slavery and even genocide to many of the galaxy's inhabitants.

He sighed deeply. Who was he now? Darth Vader? Anakin Skywalker? Someone in between? Padme had always shown him compassion and affection, from the day they met when he was 9 and she 14. She was older, and had always been wiser.

Was it really possible for him to be a force for good? Or was the latent evil in him a bar? What was best for the galaxy? His banishment? His death? His service?

He was not sure, but he did know this. With the death of Darth Sidious, a veil of confusion in his mind had vanished along with their Force bond. Much that was opaque was now clear, much that seemed certain was now unknown.

The man who had been Anakin Skywalker straightened and stood tall even as he turned to look at his wife.

"I don't trust myself that much," he rasped firmly, "But I trust you, Padme. And our children. With your help, I pledge to do what I can to make up for at least some of the evil I've perpetrated on our family and the galaxy."

 _Author Note: I am taking artistic license with Xizor's pheromone 'thing'. In_ Shadows of the Empire _, Xizor has the ability to sexually attract any human female if he puts his mind to it. That is creepy to me, so in this fic he is able to exude chemicals that make people (especially female humans) trust him more, but not necessarily cause them to fall in love with him. Relinka is a spaz so that's the way she rolls, but other female humans he encounters won't suddenly want to hop in bed with him._


	32. Chapter 32

_2 days later_

 _Hidden Rebel Outpost_

 _Third Moon of Aldraig V_

"Captain?"

"Yes, corporal?"

"There is an incoming ship approaching the outpost. Sensors indicate it is a lone TIE fighter."

"Now that it is in obvious sensor range, is the pilot making any attempt to flee?"

"No, sir."

"Don't shoot, it might be an Imperial defector."

"Sir, the ship is hailing."

"Open channel."

"Unknown TIE, what is your purpose here on the moon?"

"Rebel Outpost, I am a former Imperial and I wish to defect to the Rebel Alliance. Repeat, I wish to defect to the Rebel Alliance."

"Very well. Maintain current position while we conduct a thorough scan of your ship for explosives. After our analysis, we will instruct you to follow our guidance signal and land in the main hanger bay. Any sign of aggression will result in immediate annihilation. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Rebel Outpost, that is clear."

/-/-/

 _Conference Room_

 _Rebel Capital Ship_ Home One

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

Bail Organa stood staring out of the transparisteel window at his beloved planet of Alderaan. Unbidden, tears filled his eyes. Even weeks later, he felt shaken with the knowledge that Alderaan and all her people had come within a minute of total annihilation.

His wife Breha was on Alderaan's surface now, meeting with representatives of the various district governments with the intention of gathering supplies for the main Rebel Fleet, which was gathering around Alderaan even now.

It was risky, he knew, to make Alderaan the gathering place. But with so much infighting within the Empire following Palpatine's death, the Rebel leadership had agreed that the opportunity to resupply ships from Alderaan was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The door slid open and his daughter Leia stepped in. She walked over and put an arm around her father. He leaned against her slightly, relishing these few moments with his precious girl. They had all been so busy that their interactions had been limited to hurried meetings about myriad issues, followed by dashing off to other hurried meetings about other myriad issues.

Leia looked tired but still maintained her bloom. Bail shook his head just a little.

"What is it, Father?" Leia asked, obviously picking up on his thoughts of bewilderment.

He sighed, "I was just thinking how much you look like Padme. It is startling that Vader didn't recognize you the first time he met you in the Senate."

Leia looked back at Alderaan, and leaned up against him a little more.

"From what Luke has told me I think that Vader was so devastated by Padme's supposed death that he did everything he could not to think about her at all, under any circumstances."

She shrugged a little, "That's what makes sense to us, anyway. There is no doubt he was totally surprised in the Death Star when Luke told him."

Bail nodded but did not speak. He knew what had almost happened between Vader and Leia. Again, it was a case of seconds making an incredible amount of difference. If Leia had been tortured by her biological father…well, he couldn't bear to think about it.

And as an adoring father to a daughter, and a loving husband to a wife, Bail Organa could begin to understand the former Anakin Skywalker's response to his wife's 'death'. How could you live with yourself, believing that you were responsible for the death of your wife and child? Vader's response had been to subjugate and bury Anakin Skywalker as deeply as he could.

Thankfully, some remnant of Anakin was still there. That was obvious.

"Have you heard from Luke lately?" he asked, changing the subject a little.

"No," Leia said, and her eyes took on a faraway look, "But I know he is doing well. More than well. He loves spending time with Vader."

She looked at Bail now, and then added, as if reading his mind, "I know that sounds strange, but Luke never had a father, and I did. Owen Lars did his best but he and Luke have very little in common. On the other hand, you and I have a bent towards politics and … you are a much warmer man than Lars ever was. You will always be my true father."

The door opened and the former senator of Chandrila, now the _de facto_ head of the Rebellion, Mon Mothma, entered the room. She walked over to the Organas and shook hands with both of them, smiling in quiet pleasure.

"Bail, Leia, I'm so glad to see you both."

"And we are glad to see you as well, Mon," Leia replied, "We just kept missing each other."

"Indeed. But we now have much of our leadership in one place, and we must decide what the next step is for the Alliance. You've heard the recent news from Imperial Center?"

Bail and Leia exchanged glances, then Bail said hesitatingly, 'Well, we've heard some of the news, but the situation appears to be changing nearly by the hour. Last we heard, Xizor fled to unknown parts with the Black Sun Fleet, Vizier Pestage is either his hostage or dead, and Ysanne Isard, Palpatine's former Director of Imperial Intelligence, has taken control of Imperial Center for now. Regrettably, sectors of Imperial Center were devastated by ship debris during the battle between the Imperial Fleet and Black Sun while Xizor made his escape. The number of civilian casualties is regrettably in the tens of thousands given how dense the population is of Imperial Center."

Mothma nodded, "That's the latest I've heard as well. However, there is news from the Rim. The Hutt Gangsters are gathering and word is that they are poised to push into new quadrants with the Imperial government and Fleet in confusion. We have reports in the last hour from agents on Ryloth, informing us of Hutt attacks against the Imperial bases on the planet. There is also talk of a brilliant Imperial Admiral, a Chiss by the name of Thrawn, who is commanding a Fleet at the edge of the Unknown Regions."

"A non-human Imperial Admiral?' Leia inquired skeptically.

"That's the rumor," Mon Mothma agreed, and her face took on a worried expression, "And if Palpatine promoted a non-human to admiral, he must be brilliant."

She shook her head and sighed, then gestured to the conference table, "Please, sit down. What I need to talk to you personally about now is…Darth Vader."

/-/-/-/

 _The Varykino_

 _Main living area_

Doctor Sert carefully poured himself a cup of caf and grabbed a protein bar from the food unit.

He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. He was an even tempered man with a reasonable capacity for dealing with uncertainty. He believed that this flexibility stood him well as a doctor, as he knew that patients didn't always respond as anticipated and that creativity was sometimes necessary. His willingness to stray from Imperial medical protocols had been yet another black mark on his record; really, he was fortunate to have survived for ten years as an Imperial doctor and was far better suited to life in the Rebel Alliance.

For all that, he felt unnerved. Emperor Palpatine was dead. Darth Vader was not a mechanized god, but a medically fragile man, albeit one with strange powers at his command. And who was he now, Doctor Sert , formerly of the Imperial Navy? By all that was reasonable, the current leadership of the Empire could and would consider him a traitor, as he was treating Darth Vader, who had turned against Palpatine. If the Rebellion balked at providing Vader safe havens, or worse yet, attempted to imprison or prosecute him, what would happen to him and Medic Fentesto?

He and Fentesto had spent hours together analyzing Vader's medical issues. Neither of them was a surgeon or specialist, but even as general practitioners, they could see obvious and simple treatments to improve Vader's quality of life. The more complex repairs were beyond their personal scope, and would require expensive equipment and specialized doctors. Would the Alliance agree to that? Was the money still available? And would Lord Vader agree to the treatments even if the facilities and medical staff could be located?

Sert trusted and liked Luke Skywalker, Lord Vader's son. He was pleased that the young man had huddled with Sert and Fentesto for several hours, struggling to understand his father's complex medical condition. He knew that Skywalker was devoted to his father and determined to get him medical help. He also guessed that the young pilot had a reasonable amount of political pull in the Rebellion, given that the boy had succeeded in destroying the Death Star.

But would the combined influence of Skywalker and Organa be enough to persuade the Alliance to give aid to their former #2 Enemy?

Sert suddenly stood up and strode firmly toward the back section of the ship, to Skywalker's living quarters. If the youth was awake, he would talk to him about some of his ideas and concerns about the future. He owed it to himself, to his fellow medic, and to his lord.

Strange sounds drew him toward an open door, and he stepped in hesitatingly. His eyes widened. The room was large and entirely empty of furnishings save for 2 chairs, which was probably just as well as the two occupants were busy beating at each other with sabers of blue light. Kenobi moved and spun around the young Skywalker, ducking low and swinging high, twirling and twisting his lightsaber in an effort to disable his opponent. Skywalker matched him move for move in this elegant yet obviously very dangerous dance.

Sert watched in awe and was so engrossed in the sparring that he didn't notice until far too late that he had company. When he realized Darth Vader was standing behind him, he jumped slightly and raised a hand to his forehead in a quick and nervous salute.

"At ease, Doctor," Vader said absently, his eyes focused on his son and Kenobi. (And how odd it was to hear this new voice of Vader's. He sounded _very_ different now, and far less intimidating.)

Two minutes later, in answer to some hidden signal, both combatants stepped back and turned off their lightsabers. Luke Skywalker was breathing heavily but the elder Kenobi looked even more exhausted. Sert frowned slightly. As a doctor, he didn't like the gasping breaths of the old man.

"Are you all right, sir?" he asked in concern, stepping forward.

Kenobi nodded and sat down on a chair. Luke looked apologetic.

"Sorry, Ben, maybe I should have stopped earlier."

"I am … not used to … such long duels, Luke. I definitely am feeling my age. But don't worry…I just need to rest a little."

Luke crinkled an eyebrow, but Vader spoke before anyone else could, "You are progressing well, Son."

Luke's air of distress turned to shy delight.

"Thank you, Father," he said humbly, "I know I have a long way to go."

Vader reached out a large hand and placed it on his son's shoulder, "You have improved significantly in even the last few weeks, Luke, and I anticipate rapid improvement in a short time. You have a natural giftedness with the saber, and what you lack in reach you make up for in maneuverability. If you like, we can work together in the near future."

From the stars in Skywalker's eyes, it was obvious that this offer was a dream come true, though he wore a slightly disgruntled look on his face.

"I wish I was taller," the boy said irritably, "Why didn't I get some of your height?"

Vader's mouth widened slightly in what Sert recognized as a smile, "You and your sister both got your mother's height, definitely. But don't be distressed about that. One of the greatest Jedi Masters was less than a meter tall."

"Size matters not," Kenobi chimed in, having recovered his breath.

Vader's smile faded, to be replaced by a scowl, "Please have the grace to spare me that irritating green gnome's pontificating statements, Kenobi. Why a Jedi of 800+ years couldn't learn to speak grammatically correct Basic is beyond my understanding."

"Who was this?" Luke asked curiously.

"Master Yoda" Vader responded, with a curiously venomous tone in his voice, "The Jedi Grandmaster of the Order before its fall. He fought Palpatine in a lightsaber battle the day the Empire was created, and then succeeded in crawling away somewhere to die."

"He's not dead," Kenobi stated steadily.

There was a long, tense moment before Vader took a step forward.

"Yoda still lives?" he demanded.

Obi-wan nodded, a look of calm plastered firmly across his face.

Behind them, Owen Lars stepped into the room, looking uncomfortable at the obvious confrontation in progress.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but we just got a com from Bail Organa with the Rebel Fleet. Can someone go talk to him, please?"

"Go ahead, Luke, and take Doctor Sert with you. I think he wanted to talk to you," Obi-wan said, still with his eyes on Luke's father.

"Um, I'm not sure…" Luke said.

"Go ahead, my son. There will be no violence, I promise you"

Luke looked back and forth between the two tense former friends and enemies, and then gently grasped Doctor Sert and pulled the doctor through the door.

As they left, Vader spoke again in what was clearly an indignant tone, "Are you saying that garrulous little troll is still…"

The door slid shut, and Sert heaved a sigh of relief.

"I think they'll be Ok, Doctor," Luke said, heading for the cockpit, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

/-/-/

 _Conference Room_

 _Black Sun Capital Ship Falleen's Fist_

 _In hyperspace approaching Tatooine_

Prince Xizor stared around the conference table at his Vigos. A Vigo, or 'nephew' was not necessarily related to the head of Black Sun, but was a subordinate lieutenant. But Falleen culture dictated more than mere servitude – the Vigo relationship was one of devotion between master and subordinate. Some of the Vigos at the table were Falleen, but many were of other races. While the Falleens were superior to every other race, Xizor was wise enough to know that different species had different gifts, and that having a Twi-lek and Hutt and Human Vigo made it easier for Black Sun to trade and interact with those species. The twelve Vigos here represented 7 different species.

"Very well, my Vigos," Prince Xizor ordered, "We will arrive at Tatooine within 3 standard hours, where you will disperse in your ships. You have your orders. I require coded updates each day, sent on secure channels. Black Sun will not just survive, but thrive during this season of uncertainty in the galaxy."

The Vigos rose to their full height. All placed a fist, flipper, or claw on his or her right heart (or facsimile of a heart, as needed) and opened their mouths (or snouts) in a sonorous shout.

"Black Sun!"

"Prince Xizor!"

Xizor straightened up even more, allowing his skin to cycle to the dark green of battle.

"Go, my Vigos! We shall prevail! We shall overcome!"

There was a final battle cry, and the Vigos dispersed in a mood of excitement and fervor.

Once the door slid shut behind them, Xizor glanced at Guri as she emerged from a hidden cubicle next to the conference room door.

"Well?" he demanded.

"I sensed no deceit or disloyalty, my Prince," she responded, "Though my programming indicates we should keep close watch on the Hutt. With the Hutt Princes pushing out from this sector, he may possibly dream of power above his station."

"The Hutts are an important part of my plan, Guri. Durga the Hutt is an important resource. But you are correct, even the lowest Vigo may get unfortunate ideas. Have 2 agents assigned to Durga. I wish to know if he plans treachery."

"As you wish, my prince," Guri replied, "Do you have any further orders?"

Xizor hesitated, then walked over to sink into his Krayt dragon leather chair at the head of the conference table.

"I miscalculated," he finally said. He could say this to Guri, who would forget this entire conversation if ordered to.

"Yes, you did," she replied, with typical bluntness, "I warned you that Pestage was bolder, and more ambitious, than you believed. Furthermore, Palpatine's xenophobia meant that the majority of the Imperial government despised and mistrusted you merely because you are Falleen."

Xizor felt a very brief flare of anger, followed by a rueful twinge of humor. Guri was programmed to be direct. Guri was programmed to be almost rude. He made her that way. He had wanted a servant who would speak boldly to him as needed, and Guri filled that role to perfection.

"Yes, Pestage's rapid move against me took me by surprise, there is no doubt. What is the news about the live Holonet feed of our confrontation?"

Guri shifted slightly, folding her arms in front of her even as her perfect blond tresses shifted, "It varies, mostly depending on species. Humans and near humans are inclined to believe you had the Emperor assassinated. The Falleen and other non human species largely believe the truth, that it was an assassination by the woman Sloani."

"Has there been any news of her?"

"It appears she was whisked away on a Rebel freighter. She is no doubt with the Rebel Alliance now."

"It is not important. Executing her publicly would be a minor public relations coup, but she is not a warrior, just a vengeful person who happened to be at the right place."

Xizor smiled slightly. To have Palpatine wiped out so unexpectedly was a boon, though Pestage's subsequent actions had mitigated the pleasure somewhat.

He lowered his voice a little – even here, in his personal conference room, on his personal ship, he was cautious, "It was, to be truthful, an ironic and perfect way for Palpatine to die."

More briskly, he continued, "Is there any definite news of Darth Vader?"

"No, your Highness," Guri replied, "It is indeed possible that he died near Krylon, though there are rumors he is in the custody of the Alliance. We do have a video file from one of our agents embedded with the Alliance. It is more than a week old, but was forwarded to us recently after you requested any information on Luke Skywalker."

"Show it to me."

Xizor turned to watch as a screen lowered. The holo was taken from across a hanger, and the Prince understood why it had not been forwarded earlier. It merely showed an attractive dark haired girl (very attractive) run across the hanger and throw herself into the arms of Luke Skywalker. They hugged and then conversed in low tones, but the holocam had been so far away that there was no hope of picking up audio or even allowing for lip reading by expert programming.

"The woman is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan," Guri commented, then added, "They seem very close."

Xizor leaned back and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, "Indeed they do."

 _Author Note: Thanks again to all of you following and reviewing! And my husband keeps plugging away loyally as my beta. Thanks, honey!_


	33. Chapter 33

_Author Note: Fanfic is acting up and isn't sending emails indicating a new chapter is up. If you haven't checked this fanfic in the last week, I have posted 3 chapters since Friday._

 _Thanks to those reviewing and following!_

 _/-/-/-_

 _3 days later_

 _The Varykino_

 _Approaching Alderaan_

Luke Skywalker watched the readouts in the cockpit indicating that Alderaan was approaching.

Behind him, the door to the cabin slid open and his father and Obi-wan Kenobi stepped in.

Luke lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Vader had been avoiding the cockpit of the _Varykino_ lately, after he and Kenobi had engaged in a minor spat regarding his father's desire to make some 'adjustments' to the controls and equipment. Ben had firmly said no, stating that the Alliance would be nervous about Darth Vader altering the _Varykino_ in any way. Luke privately agreed with his father that tinkering could only improve the ship. She was a sturdy vessel, but moved with the elegance of an inebriated bantha.

"We're almost there?" Kenobi inquired.

Luke nodded, "Yep, any second now and we'll drop out of hyperspace. Leia's waiting for us."

Abruptly, the _Varykino_ dropped out of lightspeed and Luke was suddenly blasted, to the point that he lifted his hands to his ears in a vain attempt to shut down the assault on his Force senses.

It was an unearthly wail in his mind, a scream of anguish and pain, raw with power and suffering.

Luke squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to throw up hastily erected shields to protect himself from the assault. But the barrage of emotion was _so strong_ …

"Luke, let me help you," his father urged, "Open yourself up to me."

Luke reached out a desperate hand to his father, even as he opened up his mind to Vader. He stretched out and felt his father's experience and strength wash over him, guiding him to raise and fortify his shields. The screams died down to a manageable level, then to a near whisper, and Luke opened his eyes, drained.

"What was _that_?"

/-/-/-/

 _Royal Palace in Theed, Capitol of Naboo_

 _Outside the Throne Room_

Senator Pooja Naberrie stood at a window, staring out at one of the royal gardens.

It was, in fact, known locally as "Padme's Garden", after a Queen of Naboo from nearly 25 years ago. Padme Naberrie. Pooja's mother's sister.

Padme had loved stalistis, Pooja's mother Sola had told her. During Padme's tenure as Queen of Naboo, she had participated in planting an entire garden of palistis, with colors spanning the rainbow. This, in addition to dealing with major crises including the Trade Federation blockade. Sola had told her daughter, with a sad smile, that rooting around in the dirt had proven wonderful stress relief for Padme.

It had been a terrifying time for Naboo, though Pooja had not yet been born. And now yet another crisis threatened her home planet.

There was a stir behind her, and she turned to see one of Queen Kalinza's aides standing behind her.

"Please come in now," she said.

Pooja took a deep breath and walked calmly into the Throne Room. She lowered her head in respect to the woman seated on the throne, then straightened.

Queen Kalinza gazed at her through her royal make-up, which successfully hid the young woman's anxiety, if indeed Kalinza was anxious. Pooja didn't know her well, though her reputation was sound. She was 17, older than many of the Queens of Naboo. Counselor Rola Talz stood at her side. Rola had been Queen of Naboo 15 years ago, and was Kalinza's most faithful advisor.

"You summoned me, my Queen?" Pooja asked courteously.

"Indeed, Senator Naberrie, I did. Welcome back to Naboo. I am thankful that you were able to escape the violence and disruption on Imperial Center."

Pooja nodded with a slight grimace, "Indeed, I am as well, your Highness. I would have stayed on Imperial Center if I thought I could help, but Ysanne Isard's first act when she took power was to arrest many of my Senate colleagues. I decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Fortunately I was able to flee the planet on a private transport before Isard's agents caught up with me. Not that I think I was a high priority – I was a low level Senator, as you know."

The Queen nodded, "Have you read the report I sent you?"

Pooja heaved a sigh, "Yes, your Majesty, I have. It is most worrisome."

Counselor Rola spoke up gently, "Indeed it is, Senator. And there is additional information. Not only are the Hutts pushing into Ryloth, we have recent confirmation that Hutt craft are intercepting transports of vital supplies meant for Naboo. It seems likely that Naboo is the next target for the Hutts."

Pooja swallowed hard, willing herself to stay calm. She knew what happened on Hutt controlled worlds. Slavery. Murder. Lawlessness. Suffering.

The Queen spoke again, "Given your knowledge of the events on Imperial Center, is there any reason to think that Isard will lend aide to us if we call for help? Naboo is Palpatine's home world, after all, and Isard was reputedly devoted to him."

Pooja regretfully shook her head, "She will not care, nor will she lend aid. The situation on Imperial Center is in flux, your Highness. Isard's hold is fragile and she will certainly consolidate her power in the Core Worlds before sending any assistance to a Rim World."

Kalinza stood and stepped forward off the dais. She was, Pooja noted, not a tall woman, though she held herself regally.

"Senator Naberrie, Counselor Rola has suggested, and I agree, that perhaps the time has come to contact the Rebel Alliance for assistance in this crisis. With the Empire conflicted, it is unlikely that there will be quick retribution for such an act. Perhaps the Alliance will help, and their influence on Naboo would be far better than the Hutts."

Senator Pooja looked startled, "Oh certainly! Much better. That seems like a wise course of action."

The Queen smiled slightly, "I'm glad you think so, Senator. We are hoping you will take the lead in this. You are, I believe, a good friend of the Senator from Alderaan, Princess Leia Organa?"

Pooja was startled, then grieved, "Indeed, Leia and I are friends. Were friends. But it seems… unlikely that she is among the living, your Highness. She surrendered to the Empire many weeks ago and she was on their execution list."

The Queen smiled again, "I'm happy to reassure you, Senator, that Princess Leia is alive and well. We have positive confirmation that she escaped custody and is currently with a part of the Alliance Fleet orbiting Alderaan."

Pooja felt a sudden rush of joy. Leia was alive! They were not the best of friends, but close enough that Leia's arrest had caused sleepless nights for Pooja as she imagined what the Empire was doing to her.

"You are sure?" she whispered.

Counselor Rola assured her, "Indeed, we are certain. We hope you will contact her as soon as possible."

/-/

 _Main hanger_

 _Home One_

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

Leia Organa stood, forcing her body to maintain a regal stillness even as she wanted to quiver with excitement. Luke was almost here! And her mother Padme.

And Vader. That was more stressful and awkward, but she was a politician and a diplomat. She could handle interacting with her formerly diabolical, now confused and confusing, Sith Lord biological sire.

The connecting corridor between the _Home One_ and the _Varykino_ cycled through a pressurization phase, and a door lifted up to reveal Luke, Obi-wan, and Vader.

"Luke!" she said in delight, and then froze at the expression on her twin's face, "Is something wrong? Is Mother all right?"

"She's fine, Leia. But all three of us sensed a disturbance in the Force when we came out of lightspeed. Ben thinks it is one person, a Force sensitive, who is in distress."

Leia looked puzzled, "A Force sensitive? Are you sure?"

Luke nodded distractedly, then enveloped his sister in a quick hug, "We need to find him, whoever he is. He's in terrible trouble. Can you come with me? I assume you have access codes for the ship."

"Um, sure?" the Princess responded in bewilderment, "But I have a meeting in 30 minutes."

"We must be cautious, Luke," Vader said gravely, "An unknown Force sensitive capable of that kind of projection must be approached with care."

He turned to his biological daughter, "I assume I am permitted to accompany you?"

Leia gazed at him curiously. With the breathing mask over his nose and mouth, a long brown robe over his armored body, and the bald and scarred head, he did not look like the infamous and terrifying Darth Vader. If anything, he looked rather pathetic.

"Yes," she said firmly, "That will be fine. But please don't display your lightsaber. And…I trust you will be willing to return to the _Varykino_ if asked?"

He nodded, even as Luke chimed in, "I asked Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru to keep Mother company, so she'll be fine."

Kenobi marched firmly toward one of the exit doors, with the others in rapid pursuit.

/-/-/

 _Home One_

 _Main Medical Bay for humans_

The medical droid 2ONB clicked in annoyance as a high level code opened the outer door to the medical bay.

It was the middle of the patients' sleep cycle and his programming stated that unnecessary disturbances were to be avoided. And here some high level member of the Alliance was bursting in, apparently bent on waking up and upsetting his patients!

He glided to the door to confront the intruders. He recognized but one, the Princess of Alderaan. Well, she was high ranking so…

"With all due respect, your Highness, it is very late and the patients are sleeping! Can this interruption be delayed until a later time?"

He hoped he sounded firm, not fussy. He had been told by humans that he sounded fussy. What did fussy sound like, anyway? He had looked it up and it was apparently a bad tone for a medical droid.

"My apologies," one of Princess Leia's companions said, an old man with gray hair, "But one of your patients is in distress and we hope we can help."

The droid tried cocking his head as he had seen humans do, but as usual it didn't work. He wasn't built correctly.

"I assure you that all my patients are sleeping calmly and there are no ongoing medical crises," he responded in what he hoped was an offended tone.

He turned to discover that a third individual, a young human male, had walked past him quietly and stopped at the door of bay 7.

"He's in here, or she is. I think it's a she, actually," the young man said.

"Your Highness, Gentlemen," the droid protested, but was firmly ignored as the entire party pushed its way into the patient's room.

He sighed mechanically. Medical droids got no respect.

Inside Bay 7, Luke turned on low level lights and looked at the bed. A girl lay on her back with a blanket carefully pulled up to her neck, a young girl in her late teens, slender of form and with a mass of curly red hair flowing down her shoulders. She looked incredibly peaceful, her breathing steady, but…

Leia stepped over to her and stared down, "Is she the one in trouble? She seems fine."

Luke closed his eyes and cautiously lowered his shields; the barrage of mental agony assaulted him immediately, and he raised his shields again.

"Yes, that's her," he said, "Leia, you have such fabulous shields that you probably can't feel her naturally, but if you lower your barriers you'll hear her screaming in the Force."

Leia reached out a cautious hand and closed her eyes, then gasped in pain and distress, "I see what you mean."

Kenobi had called up the patient's file on the computer and was reading it rapidly.

"Well, this is interesting and disturbing. The young lady recently defected from the Empire and she very specifically asked to meet me. She gave her name as Martilla Janko, but the Alliance processor said she admitted that wasn't her real name. She collapsed physically shortly after she landed on the _Home One_ , and displayed 'serious psychosis'. She was drugged with the hope of providing her needed rest as her Bioscan indicated extreme fatigue."

Luke paled, "But she's obviously in terrible trouble and now she can't wake up."

Vader, who had been silent thus far, now spoke softly, "I know this woman."

The others turned and looked at him expectantly.

He continued, "Her name is Mara Jade, age about 18 standard years. She is one of the Emperor's Hands."

A moment of silence followed, and then Vader spoke, "The Emperor has – had – a long standing policy of snatching young Force sensitives as small children, and training them as his personal 'Hands'. Jade was one of the stronger ones, though none were powerful enough to be an apprentice – which is to say, none could topple me from my position as the Junior Sith Lord. They were not trained thoroughly in the use of the Force, as Palpatine's goal was to use them in particular roles. He limited his training of all his servants, even me, so that the chances of rebellion were minimized."

Luke reached out a hand and touched the young woman's forehead gently, "Why do you suppose she was looking for Ben? And what is wrong with her?"

Vader closed his eyes and considered. When he opened his eyes, he looked, and _felt_ , sad.

"Luke, Obi-wan, you remember my reaction when the Emperor was in the throes of his death agonies from moonglow poisoning. Palpatine's hallucinations and anguish through our Force bond nearly toppled my sanity. Luke, if you and your mother hadn't pulled me out, I don't know what would have happened. I did not pay particular attention to Jade, but I have a vague memory that she was gifted in telepathy. Jade was devoted to her Master, and she was likely bonded closely to him. Based on her current distress, I would assume she is experiencing emotional and mental havoc from her bond to the Emperor during his extended death spiral."

Luke cringed in horror, even as Leia said practically, "But why do you suppose she was seeking Kenobi?"

Vader responded with care, "There are two likely options. The first is that her final order from Palpatine was to assassinate Kenobi, and she feels compelled to carry it out. The other possibility is that in her distress and confusion over her mental state, she was seeking an experienced Force sensitive. Kenobi's capture on the Death Star is well known. I believe there is widespread belief that I am dead. Perhaps she is seeking the only accomplished Force sensitive she is aware of in a desperate search for relief and healing."

There was hesitation, broken by Leia, "Well, what do we do now?"

"I'm going in," Luke responded immediately, then added, "Into her mind, I mean. I did it with Father and I will try to help her."

"Absolutely not!" Vader and Leia said simultaneously.


	34. Chapter 34

_Author Note: Parts of this chapter are angsty and sad._

 _Medical Bay 7_

Home One _Rebel ship_

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

"Absolutely not!" Vader and Leia said simultaneously.

Embarrassed, the two glanced quickly at each other, then back at Luke.

Leia, her brother reflected fondly, had the advantage of expression. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth set in a fierce, determined line. His father was, he sensed, equally or more passionate in his response, but the breathing mask partially hid his countenance.

Luke grinned at them, "It is really funny to me how you two are _so_ overprotective! You both made such a fuss about me participating in the Death Star battle and now this!"

Leia stepped forward and stood on her tiptoes to get closer to his face, "Oh, yes, twin. We are _so_ overprotective. What is wrong with us, anyway? Why would we be worried about a totally untried pilot flying into a war zone around a planet destroying battle station? Why would we be concerned about our loved one delving into the mind of a woman driven mad by an ancient, now dead, evil Sith Lord? What is our problem?"

Luke looked at his father, who said in a more measured tone, "I agree with your sister, Luke. It would be far too dangerous to attempt a mind meld with Jade. And you have no responsibility to her. You are not required to assist her."

"Well then who will?" Luke demanded, "And don't say no one. You said she was snatched as a child and basically made a slave to that monster. She's stuck in a nightmare of some kind, and is in unrelenting emotional and mental agony. You know the four of us in this room are the only strong Force sensitives within reach. If this was something that others on this ship could do, then no, it wouldn't be my responsibility. But I would say the only options here are me and Ben. Leia, you've not had enough training. Father, you just escaped that man's mind games and I don't think jumping into Jade's mind would be wise. And besides, she's probably afraid of you too."

Obi-wan spoke up, "Your analysis seems reasonable, Luke. But as you said, I can do it, and should. I have decades more experience than you do in the Force."

Luke stilled, then sighed, "Ben, I know you are far more experienced, but I still think I should do it because…because I am strongly bonded to both Leia and Father. I know if I get in deep I can follow the twin bond back to Leia and consciousness. I know that if I get in deep that Father can call me back. Your closest bond is to me, but you know we never developed a normal master- apprentice Force bond due to …circumstances.

"Besides…I know I never told you this because Uncle Owen would have been upset, but I, uh, was working on mind healing with Mother on Tatooine. So I do have _some_ experience."

Vader stared at his son incredulously. Had he ever been this compassionate? He was inclined to think not. In his days as Anakin Skywalker, he had felt the weight of responsibility for the lives of others. He had worked miracles on occasion and saved thousands. But one person? One insignificant brat from who knows where? An Imperial who might, if she were healed, wake up sputtering and angry? Or insane?

But Padme…Padme would risk herself to save one person, if she believed she was the best person to do it.

"She is very pretty, don't you think?" Leia said suddenly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at her twin.

Luke blushed slightly and looked down, "Um, yeah, she is. Very very pretty. I hope that if this happened to a giant sentient slug that I would be as compassionate but um, yeah, it helps that she is a _gorgeous_ girl."

He looked back up before his father could sputter an outraged response to that, and said, "I am going to do this."

Leia sighed and looked at Vader. For the first time in their difficult relationship, they shared a glance of mutual sympathy.

"Ok, fine," Leia grumbled, "But you'd better believe Lord Vader and I will be right here the whole time. And if you start … I don't know…going insane or something, come back out. Is that clear? Assuming you can get into her mind at all, I mean. Maybe it won't work."

"It will probably work," Kenobi responded, "Crazy Skywalker plans often do."

/-/-/-

 _20 minutes later_

 _Medical Bay 7_

Home One _Rebel ship_

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

Luke lay comfortably on a bed next to the one occupied by Mara Jade, with his head on one of the nicer pillows he'd ever used. Maybe getting injured wouldn't be such a bad deal. Nice bed, sweet pillow – but no, injuries were a pain – not just physically but mentally. He hated being bored and stuck in bed.

He smiled at his sister and father, and closed his eyes. For a minute, he merely rested, allowing his mind to still, to find its center in the Light Side of the Force.

When he felt relaxed and calm, he carefully lowered his shields. The sudden barrage of anguish from Jade was distracting, but he found now that he was in a possible position to help her, he could handle it better. He focused on her mind, on her spirit, gently and respectfully, trying to find a way into the darkness.

With a sudden rush, he suddenly found himself _in_. For a minute, there was just a kaleidoscope of shapes and shades of gray. Mara Jade's mindscape apparently was currently monochromatic. Or his perception of her mindscape was monochromatic. It was remarkably dull, even for a man raised on the ochre world of Tatooine.

He found himself standing on a lonely, empty, completely flat plain which stretched into the far distance – empty save for a metallic sphere standing bleak and silent. A large, metallic, dimly reflective sphere. Luke tilted his head up and estimated it at 10 meters in diameter. He looked around, bemused. There was nothing and no one else in sight. So Mara Jade's mind currently was filled with a totally closed metal sphere?

With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes (which were already closed in the real world, but in Jade's mindscape they had been opened – this was complicated) and reached out again for the turbulent mind of the woman he was mind melded with.

And…she was in the sphere. Of course. And he was stuck outside. Of course.

Well, how to get in? This was Mara Jade's mind and obviously she wasn't feeling particularly trusting. He could try to hack his way in brutally, but that would be entirely counterproductive to his desired goal, which was to gently assist this woman in pulling out of her nightmare vision.

His brow furrowed. Then he had an idea. He reached into his own memories and _remembered_.

Remembered Aunt Beru, her work toughened fingers running gently through his hair.

Remembered the rare smile of pride from his Uncle Owen after Luke fixed a recalcitrant moisture 'vaporator.

Remembered the sense of pride and joy emanating from his father after Luke's successful TIE simulator test.

Remembered the love and affection between two broken people, Padme Naberrie Skywalker and the former Anakin Skywalker.

And Luke released those memories of love and pride and joy and compassion and affection and _healing_ into Mara Jade's mindscape.

When he looked up, a door had opened midway up the sphere. With a smile and a Force assisted leap, he was inside. The door shut behind him. He was in a corridor, stretching from the outer surface towards the center of the sphere, though the sphere was now far larger than it was when he stood outside. The floors were covered with dark matting and the walls and ceiling were nearly black save for coldly lit lights spaced regularly in the ceiling.

He reached out his senses again and stilled as the darkness roiled out at him from the center of the sphere. Pain and self -hatred and confusion and betrayal were all mixed together with an unhealthy dose of creepy Dark Energy.

Luke grimaced as his groping hand felt for, and could not find, his lightsaber. He groaned softly. He was in a vision, after all. No reason he'd have a lightsaber in a vision.

Well, retreat was not the Skywalker way, and hanging out in this corridor was boring, so Luke braced himself and marched firmly toward the center of the sphere.

When he reached it, he was, not surprisingly, surprised. He had imagined evil slithering snakes or angry Krayt Dragons or perhaps one of the Emperor's infamous society parties gone wrong. With a woman who had been brought up as Palpatine's servant/slave, he didn't know what to expect.

But instead he found an open space. In the space, which was about 5 meters in diameter, stood the woman who was currently lying unconscious in a bed in the med bay.

Mara Jade. Next to her was another human, an older woman with red hair and features similar to Jade's. Both wore simple black robes though their heads were bare.

Both were standing completely still, frozen, staring at a flat screen mounted on the wall. Luke approached them cautiously, but it was obvious that neither could see nor sense him.

Luke, who was only a few inches taller than Jade and her companion, stepped carefully behind them and looked at the screen.

His breath caught in horror at the holo, which, unlike everything else, was in color. Luke saw a house on an unfamiliar planet. There were trees, so it wasn't a desert planet, and the sky was tinged slightly purple, but his eyes were drawn to the tragic scene in front of him.

A little girl with red tresses - obviously Jade as a very young child - was huddled in front of the house, her arms around a woman who was identical to the woman standing next to Jade. But the woman, no doubt Jade's mother, lay on the ground with her eyes fixed wide open in the gaze of death, several smoking blaster wounds in her chest.

As Luke watched, a man dressed in an old style Imperial uniform stepped forward and grabbed the child, roughly dragging her away from the woman. Luke felt tears form in his eyes as the child screamed and thrashed, reaching toward her dead mother on the ground. Though there was no sound, the child's mouth formed the words "Mama, Mama!" as the officer dragged her away.

Behind them all, the house went up in flames.

The screen went black, and the form next to Jade turned to her, like an automaton, and began talking, "It was all your fault, Mara. You are the reason I was killed along with your father and your two sisters. It was your fault. I wish you had never been born."

Jade was now able to move, and lifted her hands to her face in despair, "I didn't mean to, Mama! I'm so sorry, so sorry! It is my fault."

The agony roiling from her was so much that Luke felt his own grip on the mindscape slip. For a brief moment, the image of Jade and her mother wavered and Luke caught a glimpse of endless swirls, like that of hyperspace, but cold and dark and grim, like the touch of death.

Luke reached out frantically towards his family and was relieved to suddenly see two trails of intense light reaching behind him and up. Leia. His father. Their love and commitment to him stabilized him, and the scene steadied.

When he looked back at Jade, she had turned twenty degrees toward a new screen and was motionless again. The still form next to her had changed to that of a man, probably in his early 30's, based on his relatively unlined face and dark hair.

Another screen lit up and Luke found himself watching the funeral of the man next to him, this holo with two small children crying next to his casket, his widow with her arms around the children.

When this holo ended, the man began moving and speaking, "I was your first assassination, wasn't I, Jade? You murdered me in cold blood and left my children fatherless and my wife a widow. And you were so proud, weren't you? Proud to be a cold blooded assassin, proud to murder a man whose only crime was providing aide to desperate war refugees whom Palpatine wanted dead. My blood is on your hands. The agony of my children is your responsibility."

Jade collapsed at this, her head bowed, her voice trembling with anguish, "I didn't know. I didn't! I was told you were a threat to the safety of my master. I'm sorry, so sorry."

Luke frowned at the man. What was this person? Thing?

He was distracted as the floor turned twenty more degrees and he realized he and Mara were looking at another screen. This one showed a pre-teen Mara doing hand to hand combat with a much larger, heavier, hulking man who was, of course, standing beside her now. Luke watched enough to see that Mara being beaten by her much larger foe, and he could tell from the man's posture that he was berating her.

Before the vision/person/thing could speak to Jade in the mindscape, Luke deliberately moved around to block Jade's view of the screen. She stared straight ahead, apparently unable to see him.

Luke reached up into the outer world with two Force tendrils and grasped harder onto his twin's spirit. Onto his father's spirit.

And then he pushed against the darkness surrounding Mara Jade.

There was a cold pop, a sudden smell of sulfur, the monochromatic scene shifted to show colors, and suddenly Jade could see him.

She reared back in shock, even as the man next to her changed shape, shifted to an old man, in a dark coarseweave cloak. A man with yellow eyes and yellowed teeth in a wrinkled face. The late Emperor Palpatine. For now, at least, he was frozen in place.

"Who are you?" Jade demanded with a mixture of fear and anger.

"I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you," Luke explained.

"You're who?" Jade demanded in obvious bewilderment.

"I'm here to rescue you," he repeated, then added hesitantly, "I'm here with Ben Kenobi."

"Ben Kenobi?" the girl repeated, then, "Where is he?"

"Um, he's out there," Luke said, waving a general hand toward the ceiling, "In the real world. You know this is all just… a vision, or nightmare, right?"

Mara's eyes narrowed. Luke caught himself thinking she looked much more attractive when she was angry as opposed to terrified.

"Yes, I know, though I can't get out of it. I just keep going round and round…"

Her angry look faded into distress, and she choked out, "Seeing images from my past, all my sins and failures, my weakness, how he used me. I thought he really cared for me. How stupid is that?"

Jade turned suddenly on the Emperor, "You told me you cared about me. You told me I was special. I trusted you. I trusted you!"

The 'Emperor' came to life.

"Of course I did, dear child," the ancient voice said condescendingly, "It amused me. And kept you in line. Though you experienced adequate suffering during your training to be of use to me as well in fueling the Dark Side. I don't regret allowing you to live. I came close to having you discarded when you weren't yet 10, you know. A little too much compassion. But your skills were just barely enough to keep you alive. It was also quite delightful taking your Light and twisting it to serve Darkness."

Mara was shaking now, her face contorted in horror and distress.

Luke stepped forward and physically interposed his (dream) body between Jade and Emperor.

"You are dead, you know," he said to the 'Emperor', "So how are you able to torment Mara Jade?"

The 'Emperor' smiled, showing all too many yellow teeth. His breath wasn't any too pleasant either.

"Oh, I'm in her mind, you know. Jade has remarkable telepathy powers and our bond was very strong. I've been lurking here for a very long time, since she was a child of 4, dragged from her burning home to become my slave. Her anguish then was most delicious. She is not strong enough to get rid of me now. All these thoughts and visions and people have been implanted for years. She can't break free, which is delightful. My physical body is dead, but I live on here."

Luke felt a horrified repugnance and then a surge of hatred towards the twisted being in front of him. He also felt…something else…something real. There was more to this vision than merely past experiences and violation. He would need to ask Ben and his fatehr about it later.

He felt the vicious joy from 'Palpatine' at his anger, even as his sister's concerned touch tapped gently on his mind.

He took a deep breath and took a step back, releasing his anger.

"Well, you can't stay now. Because I'm here, and I'm going to throw you out."

The Emperor laughed, a vicious laugh, a triumphant laugh. Luke remembered, vaguely, that Leia had told him Palpatine was fond of opera and theater. It seemed he had spent far too much time studying evil laughs.

"No really, I am," Luke said, and smiled genuinely, "I am Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, and the Force is with me."

He turned to Jade, who was staring at him with hopeful trepidation.

"Ok, so we'll get rid of him, and I think that will get rid of all these crazy people haranguing you. I think that you'll wake up in the real world at that point as the drug should be wearing off. Does that sound good?"

Mara looked at him in disbelief, "You sound very confident but he just said I can't get rid of him!"

Luke smiled again, and reached out his hands towards hers. Tentatively, she placed her hands in his.

"Close your eyes, please," he instructed.

And then Luke reached out for the Light that was in Mara Jade, even as he reached out for the Light that was in his sister and yes, his father as well.

Again, he thought of love, and compassion, and joy. He thought of racing through Beggar's Canyon, of happy evenings at home, of relaxed discussions with Leia over moisture evaporators, of the thrill of his mother's improved health. He thought of his mother's kiss on the brow of her broken and contrite husband. And then he started seeing visions flowing from Mara, of her mother wrapping baby Mara in a blanket and cuddling her close, of whispered words, "I love you so much, Mara. You are one of the lights of my life." Of laughter and joy in her family's house before the Empire came to call. Of timid yet brave friendships with other slaves of Palpatine under the very nose of their Master. Luke pushed out with his power, expanding it around himself and Mara Jade, expanding to fill the entire sphere with clean, bracing Light.

And when Luke and Mara opened their eyes, the 'Emperor' was gone, the darkness dissipated. Mara heaved a gigantic smile of relief even as her eyes filled with tears. She looked at the ceiling and…

Back in the medbay, Luke Skywalker woke up.

Mara, with a slight groan, woke up beside him.

 _Author Note: Wow, writing visions is hard! Hope you liked it._


	35. Chapter 35

_Medical Bay 7_

Home One _Rebel ship_

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

Mara Jade sat up carefully, looking around her nervously.

She was in some kind of medbay, which was filled with 4 people and one silent medical droid.

A hunted glance around showed her the young man who had just entered her mind with _such_ power. Luke Skywalker, he had said? He was just sitting up from a bed which had been pushed close to hers.

Deliberately, she pulled the blanket close to her and tensed. Who were these people and what would they want from her?

An older man, with gray hair and a kind but weathered face, stepped forward and smiled, "How are you feeling, young lady? I'm Obi-wan Kenobi. I believe you were searching for me?"

Mara nodded tightly, then stuttered out, "I was just looking for help from a strong Force user, you understand. I needed help. I felt like I was going mad…"

Kenobi responded soothingly, "Well, I can understand that given the Darkness I sensed in your mind. I'm relieved that Luke was able to help so much. Now I'm sure you are feeling disoriented and probably hungry as well. So let's get you some food and I hope you'll feel free to ask questions. I can stay with you, or Luke can if you like?"

Mara shot another look at Skywalker, who had now slid off his bed and moved next to the short, very pretty, dark haired girl standing against the wall. He was young, probably her own age.

Again, she hesitated. Given that she was a known Imperial, there was no doubt she would be subject to interrogation at some point. Was there any way she could convince them to wait, to just leave her alone for a few hours for her to recover? Probably not. Unconsciously, she straightened herself slightly. She could do this. She was Mara Jade, trained to withstand pain and suffering. Now that this Skywalker had broken her out of her endless vision which had targeted her deepest fears and horrors, she would make it. Because she had to…

Skywalker spoke up, breaking her train of thought, "Mara, Ben isn't hinting at any kind of interrogation. I promise you we just want to help. We're not like Palpatine."

Mara's eyes stung with sudden tears and she blinked them away. Don't show weakness to your enemies. Don't show weakness…

She suddenly felt a barrage of comfort and compassion and strength flowing from the young man, penetrating her still tattered shields.

Amazed, she looked up at him. He was so strong in the Force, far stronger than she was. And it seemed impossible that his Force sense could lie so thoroughly. Maybe she could trust him? As for Kenobi, he had been a general in the Clone Wars. The younger man might be safer for now.

Hesitantly, she turned to Kenobi again, "I'd like it if Skywalker stayed, yes."

Skywalker turned to the dark haired girl and said, "Leia, thanks for assisting. You have a meeting, right?"

The girl smiled a little and nodded, "I _always_ seem to have a meeting, Luke."

She turned to Mara and stepped forward, "Mara Jade, I'm Princess Leia Organa. On behalf of the Alliance, I welcome you to the _Home One_. I promise you that we will do everything we can to assist in your complete recovery."

There was a sudden beep from Organa's datapad, and she looked down and checked a message.

The final occupant of the room was a tall human who was, now that Mara was focused on him, hideous in his aspect though his blue eyes seemed friendly .

She blinked at him in horror. What had happened to this man? He appeared to have scars all over his head, his ears were only partially present, and he had a mask on for breathing support.

Mara felt a rush of sympathy, then winced internally. Her Master had always despised her compassion, and she had been punished more than once for it. Nevertheless, she never was able to stamp it out entirely.

She suddenly sensed discomfort emanating from the scarred man, and her eyes widened in concern. She realized that he was a Force sensitive, which meant he could feel her horror. She tried to raise her shields and failed. She was still reeling from the last days of emotional havoc.

"It's all right, Mara Jade," the man said in a raspy voice, "I realize that my appearance is distressing. I too am pleased that you have escaped Palpatine's mind games. I have suffered from them as well."

Jade frowned. Who was this man? A Jedi who had been tortured at Palpatine's behest? But if so, how had he survived? The scars looked old…

Organa suddenly looked up and stared straight at the broken man, "Lor…um, I just got a request from the council that you attend a meeting. Are you willing to do that?"

Jade sensed a current of unease sweep through the medbay, particularly emanating from Skywalker.

"Do they want Ben and me there too?" Skywalker asked.

"Obi-wan, yes. You, no," Organa replied, meeting his eyes directly, "And don't worry. There is an urgent need for information about Ysanne Isard and the likely current state of political and military affairs of Imperial Center. We are hoping your father can provide necessary information."

His father? This injured man was Skywalker's father?

"By all means," the man said (was he also a Skywalker?), "Luke, I will see you later. Can you check on Padme when you are done talking to Jade?"

"Of course I will, Father," Skywalker said firmly, "And thank you for your help while I was in there. I couldn't have done it without you."

"May the Force be with you, my son," the man replied, and he, Kenobi, and Organa left the room.

Skywalker turned and flicked a switch on the med droid, which promptly 'woke up.'

"Sirs, I must protest this treatment," it said in a fussy tone, "Patient 7 requires rest and you are interrupting her sleep cycle. Oh, you are awake, Patient 7. Please allow me to do a diagnostic on you to evaluate your current medical condition."

"And I'll get you some food," Skywalker said.

/-/-/-/

Home One _, orbiting Alderaan_

 _Main Conference Room_

 _Mon Mothma, General Rieekan, General Dodonna, Bail Organa, and Breha Organa in attendance_

The members of the Alliance Command rose to their feet as Princess Leia Organa stepped into the room with the hulking figure of Darth Vader behind her. Behind them both was the aged yet reassuring figure of Obi-wan Kenobi.

There was an anxious pause, and Mon Mothma spoke,

"Lord Vader, I am Mon Mothma, one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. Welcome to the _Home One_. Thank you for coming to this assembly.

"We realize this is an unusual situation. Given your past history as the Empire's blunt enforcer, we have reason to be skeptical about your goodwill now. I trust you understand."

"Indeed, I do," Vader said in a gravelly voice, "It would be unreasonable and unwise for you to trust me easily. The truth is that my greatest goal has been accomplished through the unlikely actions of the moonglow chef who poisoned Palpatine. My former Master is dead, and my son is far safer now."

"And your biological daughter and your wife as well," Mothma returned smoothly.

A nonexistent eyebrow lifted slightly, "Indeed, Mon Mothma. I was not sure how much you knew about my … complex…family situation."

"The Organas have given me a full report," Mothma said coldly, and a look of disdain spread across her face, "It grieved me exceedingly to learn that the former Hero of No Fear turned so rapidly to Darkness, Lord Darth Vader. Your crimes against the galaxy are immeasurable."

Vader felt a surge of anger, at her manner more than her words, which he fought to rein back. Only after succeeding did he notice the calculated look in Mon Mothma's eyes.

This was a test. His temper was notorious and Mothma obviously felt her own well-being was less important than determining whether he had truly changed. Whether he could be trusted to work with them without flying into a homicidal rage when challenged about his grim past.

He bowed his head in shame and said quietly, "Indeed, I know there is nothing I can do to make up for the atrocities I have inflicted upon the sentients of many worlds. I deeply regret my actions and hope that I can contribute slightly to healing the galaxy."

He looked up now, and gazed steadily into Mon Mothma's eyes, "And I pledge to you that if you and the rest of Alliance Command decide that my execution would best serve the galaxy, I will abide by that decision without protest or resistance."

Vader felt the shocked surprise emanating from all but his daughter and Kenobi. Kenobi generated calm, and Leia expressed horror.

"There is no way…" Leia began passionately, and then clearly calmed herself, "Lord Vader, it would break Luke's heart, and my biological mother Padme's as well. We owe Luke, and you, a great deal for saving Alderaan and for the destruction of the Death Star. As a member of High Command, I wish to make it clear that I would never agree to such a thing."

"You are certainly not expected to agree to that, Princess," Mothma said soothingly.

She turned to Vader, "Though your willingness to accept execution is as encouraging as it is incredible – if you mean it."

Mon Mothma glanced at Kenobi, who said, "He does. Lord Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, is many things, but he has always been direct and disdainful of prevarication."

Mothma nodded and said, "Then please sit down, Lord Vader. Princess Leia, Obi-wan Kenobi, we need your advice and counsel as well."

Vader found himself seated, somewhat uncomfortably, with his daughter on his right, Obi-wan on his left, and a thoroughly hostile General Dodonna across the table form him. The man clearly did not trust him, and kept shooting him suspicious glances. It said much for how much Vader had changed that he found this annoying but not enraging.

"Lord Vader," Bail Organa said, "I trust you will not mind if we give you our latest understanding of the galactic political situation. As you probably know, Prince Xizor of Black Sun was challenged by Sate Pestage with the assassination of Palpatine during a live Holonet interview. His human replica droid Guri managed to overpower Pestage, and Xizor escaped, with Pestage as a hostage, from Imperial Center with the Black Sun fleet. The battle between Black Sun and the Imperial Navy near Imperial Center resulted in significant casualties both of ship personnel and civilians on the ground due to battle debris falling onto the planet.

"We would appreciate your assessment of Ysanne Isard and her potential ability to retain power. She is currently the acting head of the Empire, though she has not taken the title of Empress. Xizor and his fleet have retreated to the Outer Rim near Tatooine, and Sate Pestage is dead or a prisoner. No one else on Imperial Center is apparently ready to openly challenge Isard at the moment, though there are rumors of significant unrest among the leadership of the Imperial Navy. We welcome your observations about Isard, as we assume you have more in depth knowledge of her than we have. If you are willing, of course."

Vader gathered his thoughts before speaking, "I am willing to provide any information I can, Mon Mothma. Ysanne Isard is ruthless, self centered, and incredibly ambitious. She is a brilliant woman and is trained well in the art of espionage both on the field and within the power structures of the Empire. Her father Armand Isard educated her from an early age to serve the Empire, until he feared her growing power and influence within Imperial Intelligence. The power struggle between Ysanne and Armand Isard resulted in the daughter framing the father for treason, resulting in Armand Isard's execution."

There was a look of horror on Leia's face at this, quickly wiped out by a look of forced calm.

The former Sith Lord continued more slowly, "Ysanne Isard certainly had significant acumen and administrative ability. Given the power vacuum on Imperial Center and in the Core, and her deep roots in the Imperial Spy Net, she may well hold power for at least some time. I suspect, however, that there will be challenges from outside the Core. Prince Xizor is equally ambitious and Black Sun is very powerful. There is also a Chiss admiral by the name of Thrawn who is a brilliant tactician. While I do not know exactly what forces are under Thrawn's command, they are significant. And he has a remarkable capacity for anticipating enemy movements and winning against greater military forces."

General Rieekan spoke up, "We have heard mentions of Thrawn, but no details at all. Do you think he might attempt to become Emperor?"

Vader sighed, "I honestly do not know. I have met him but a handful of time. He is loyal to his own people, the Chiss, who live in the Unknown Regions. I would anticipate that he would be more likely to retreat to his home world and its environs and create an Empire of his own rather than become Emperor of the Core Worlds, but I cannot be sure. I never understood his mentality, and I know he disdained me though he kept it carefully concealed in his manner and words. If he does choose to base himself outside the borders of the official Empire, he will probably attempt to gain control over some of the Outer Rim worlds.

"Given the death of Emperor Palpatine and my disappearance from the galactic stage, I believe you can anticipate a massive power struggle that will take place over likely many months up to a few years. The Empire has a good chance of ripping itself apart, and the Alliance need only wait. It may prove surprisingly simple in a year or two to take the tattered remains of the Empire and fashion it into the Republic you desire."

He sat back slightly and waited. This was his honest view, and if it kept his children a bit safer, that was all to the good. He hoped he never again faced the anxiety of having his precious child flying over a battle station with dozens of TIE's in pursuit. If he had hair, it would be gray after that experience.

As for a new Republic, Vader was uncertain of its potential efficacy. But his children wanted a Republic, and his wife did (in her increasingly frequent lucid moments) and if the Jedi Code was reformed and the ridiculous 'no attachments' philosophy abolished, he would be content. He was willing to spend the rest of his days either in a cell, or on the _Varykino_ (which would be far preferable), or even awaiting a firing squad. He just wanted his family as safe and happy as possible.

The members of the Alliance Council looked at each other thoughtfully before Mon Mothma spoke again.

"Your assessment agrees with ours, though with additional useful detail. If you are correct, then the galaxy is facing a great deal of internal conflict. And if that is true, there will be many civilian casualties as the warring factions vie for power. It is our judgement, therefore, that waiting quietly while the galaxy tears itself apart is not the morally correct stance."

Vader blinked, "You are of course right that many innocents will suffer, Mon Mothma, and that is regrettable. But the leaders seeking the position, if not title, of Emperor are universally self-serving individuals. If you are thinking of backing one of them, I would personally advise against it. While none is as strong as Palpatine, both Xizor and Isard are equally brutal and ruthless. The Chiss Thrawn is a more honorable individual, but his primary loyalty is to his own people…"

"No, none of them," Bail Organa interrupted, "You."

There was a long pause as Vader ran that statement through his mind three times.

"What?" he finally repeated.

Mon Mothma clarified, "You are the obvious successor to Emperor Palpatine, are you not? You could challenge Isard and take her place with far less difficulty than anyone else. You could reform the Empire from within and, over time, abolish the Empire and replace it with a democratic republic."

Darth Vader looked around the table. Obi-wan looked surprised, but Vader sensed his former master was not opposed. General Rieekan and the elder Organas seemed at peace. Leia, he sensed, was taken aback at this development. Dodonna was a raging ball of distress and anger and distrust, though his countenance remained calm.

"You are serious," Vader finally said, "You, the leadership of the Rebel Alliance, wish me, Darth Vader, to take over as Emperor of the galaxy."

"I don't," Dodonna said firmly, while refusing to meet the former Sith Lord's eyes, "And I wish to state again for the record that I am entirely against this plan. In my view, Vader is far worse than Isard because of his immense power in the Force. He describes Isard as ruthless and brutal. How is that any different than Lord Vader? How can we even consider this…this mass murderer, this slayer of children and destroyer of worlds… as a viable option?"

Bail Organa spoke up now, "General, we have discussed this before, and we did not invite Lord Vader here to insult him…"

"No, it is only right to let Dodonna express his concerns," Vader interrupted, "And he has every right to. I am truthfully astonished that you would even consider trusting me to assist in making things right though I truly long to do so. My betrayal of the Jedi and the Republic resulted in great suffering and I recognize that, though I will admit I don't dwell on it because I fear the emotional consequences."

"As for your comparison of me with Isard," he continued, looking directly at Dodonna, "Our motives for our actions are dissimilar. I was brutal and ruthless because I was slavishly devoted to my master Palpatine and genuinely believed that he was the best hope for a united and peaceful galaxy. I destroyed the Jedi because I was devoted to my wife Padme and believed that Palpatine's power in the Dark Side would help her survive childbirth. To my intense sorrow and shame, my attempts to save her instead resulted in her near death and 19 years of separation. I was devoted to my mother Shmi and…" here he paused, then steadied himself, "And when she died in my arms after being brutalized by a local tribe on Tatooine, I gave into the power of the Dark Side for the first time and slaughtered the entire tribe, down to the babies in their cradles.

"Ysanne Isard is entirely devoted to self-interest, to the point that she was willing to sacrifice her father to her ambition. I love my wife and children, General. I want nothing more than to serve and protect them. In the past, my way of serving my family, my master, and my Order, was based on a weak foundation. Frankly, I believe that the moral ambiguity of the Clone Wars, and the foolish disdain of attachment in the Old Order, contributed to my downfall though of course I am entirely responsible for my own actions.

"My wife and my children have a deep rooted morality, a clear sense of right and wrong, that has long been missing in my life. I would not trust myself to be a wise Emperor, members of the Council. But if you believe that I can serve in that role during the transition to a better galaxy, I am willing. So long, that is, that my family is involved in the decisions of the Alliance. That is a necessary prerequisite."

There was a long pause, and then Mon Mothma said calmly, "Thank you, Lord Vader."

/-/-/

 _Medical Bay 7_

Home One _Rebel ship_

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

"Ok, I'm calling it," Skywalker announced suddenly.

Mara looked up, startled, even as she reluctantly spooned another mouthful of gray gluck into her mouth, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm calling it," he repeated, "This food is disgusting. We're not eating anymore. You deserve better, and so do I."

The med droid, which had been whirring quietly in the corner, spoke up indignantly, "Sir, I must protest . This gluck is of the finest ingredients and includes all necessary nutrients to sustain health. It was prepared based specifically on the medical scan done on Patient Jade. Furthermore, you should not be eating it at all as you are not a patient. Indeed, you pushed your way in here and have been disrupting Patient Jade's rest cycle and…"

Skywalker gestured with his hand, and the droid turned off mid-sentence.

"Come on," he said to Mara, and walked over to a nearby closet. There was a green cloak inside and he threw it at her, "Put this on so no one realizes I'm busting a patient out of medbay."

Mara hesitantly but thankfully put on the cloak (it was a bit chilly in the room) and said carefully, "So where are we going?"

"To the _Varykino_ ," he answered, "The ship that my father and mother and aunt and uncle and a couple of medical people and I have been living on the last few weeks. It's connected to the _Home One_ right now but we have autonomy there. Of course, I'm not really breaking you out because you are not a prisoner, but I know that medical people can get fussy and I'd rather not get into any arguments. But you'll sleep better and eat better on the _Varykino_. We have a couple of guest rooms which have very decent beds."

Startled at this uncalculated dialogue, Mara followed Skywalker out of the room. She felt very bewildered, but more and more reassured by Skywalker's demeanor and presence. He certainly didn't act like an interrogator; the only questions he had asked were rather endearing ones about starships she had flown, as he too was an enthusiastic pilot. He had also, to her amazement, put up a careful shield in the Force between them. Mara knew her own shields were tattered and that she was broadcasting her emotions and thoughts, especially to the man who had actually mind melded with her. But Skywalker appeared to be so respectful of her that he was willingly blocking her out to give her privacy.

Really, who was this guy? Was anyone really that _nice_? Or was this all a cover to encourage her to drop her guard? She was an ex-Imperial, after all. She still didn't understand why she wasn't in a cell somewhere now that she was lucid enough to answer questions!

"So," Mara said quietly as they walked through a series of lightly populated corridors, "Are you willing to, uh, tell me more about your family?"

She noticed that the people passing her and Skywalker either ignored them entirely or cast admiring glances at Skywalker. He seemed pretty popular.

"Well, my family situation is complicated," he rejoined just as quietly, "My mother's name is Padme. She's recovering from a massive brain injury and while she is so much more stable and lucid than she used to be, she still isn't quite right. So don't stress out if she says some odd things. I'm going to ask my Aunt Beru to cook for you. She's the best cook on Tatooine and while Tatooine isn't known for gourmet food, it is far more satisfying than that gluck in the medbay. My Uncle Owen is a bantha away from his sand. He's very generously stuck with us through the last crazy months in spite of being a moisture farmer all his life. He's a good man. And the two medical people are devoted Imperials assigned to my mother by my father."

They had reached the connection to the _Varykino_ now, and stepped through the corridor toward the door.

As Skywalker palmed the door and it slid open, Mara asked, "Your father assigned Imperial medical staff to your mother? I don't understand."

They stepped through the door and it slid shut, leaving them in a small antechamber in the _Varykino_.

Luke turned to Mara Jade and held out a hand. Hesitatingly, she took it.

"My father is Darth Vader, Mara," he explained gently, "He was burned in lava 19 years ago which resulted in the deformities and the need for breathing support. You know what he did as a servant of the Emperor. So don't worry. Yes, you're an ex-Imperial, but so is he. You don't need to be afraid of us."

 _Note: I believe Ysanne Isard (whom I only know of from Wookiepedi) arranged for her father to be executed after the Death Star blew up, but for the purposes of this AU I'm saying she had him killed off earlier._

 _A couple of reviewers have asked if I will have Thrawn appear as a character. The answer is almost certainly no. He is very interesting but I can't get into his brain. Brilliant tactician? I can't imagine how a brilliant tactician would operate. And this thing about figuring out cultures from their ART? I'm an engineer, not an artist! I don't have an artistic bone in my body! So yeah, I don't think I can write Thrawn effectively. Sorry if that is a disappointment._

 _Mara has some trust issues._


	36. Chapter 36

_The Varykino, attached to the Home One_

 _Orbiting Alderaan_

 _16 hours later_

Mara Jade slowly floated into consciousness. She was lying on a soft bed with a pleasantly firm pillow and she felt … rested for the first time in weeks. Perhaps months. Perhaps even years.

Well, to really catch up with sleep she'd need to conk out for a month straight, but at least she had slept for…16 hours straight? Could that really be right? That's what the chrono said.

Mara sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, looking around intently. She has been so tired last night that she had stumbled into bed after a quick meal and fallen asleep within seconds.

The room had light gray walls and a darker gray floor, and was furnished simply with a bed, a chair, a bedside table with lamp and chrono, and a dresser. Two doors, one open, one shut, were the only means of egress. The open one led to a small refresher. The closed one presumably led out into the main corridor of the ship, but Mara was fairly certain it was locked.

She stood up and walked over to the refresher, only to be distracted by a neat stack of clothing on the dresser, with a message on top of it.

"Mara Jade, I hope you will feel comfortable using these clothes. I'm shorter than you (I'm shorter than almost everyone!) but I think they will serve you until we can find clothing your size. Sincerely, Leia Organa."

Mara shook her head in amazement and rapidly moved to the refresher with the clothes. A quick sonic shower later, she felt clean and the green dress, while a bit short, fit well enough and was both comfortable and attractive.

She exited the refresher just in time for a gentle knock to fall on the door.

Hesitatingly, Mara pushed the door button and it slid open to reveal a lovely, slim, middle aged woman dressed in light blue robes. Her dark hair was elaborately braided in a style which reminded Mara of Princess Leia Organa.

"Mara Jade? I'm Padme Naberrie Skywalker, Luke's mother. He told me you were awake and I'm sure you are hungry. Would you care to accompany me to the dining room?"

Mara's jaw dropped. She had been stunned and perturbed at Skywalker's announcement of his father's identity, to the point that she had spent all of 5 seconds wondering vaguely about his mother. But if she had guessed, she would have visualized a meek, weary woman, not this radiant creature. Wouldn't being involved with Darth Vader be utterly exhausting and soul shattering?

Mara realized she was still standing stock still with mouth hanging open, and Padme's brows were lifting slightly.

"Ah, yes, thank you," Mara said, blushing slightly, "Thank you very much. I am hungry."

She glanced at her bed, which was in disarray, and hurried over to quickly smooth the sheets and blankets. She had been trained to carefully make her bed, and old habits die hard.

To her surprise, Padme stepped to the other side of the bed and helped her make it.

"Your son doesn't, um, look a lot like you," Mara ventured, feeling awkward by the silence.

Padme smiled as they walked out of the room, "Luke takes after Anakin and Leia takes after me, with the interesting result that they don't necessarily look like siblings, much less twins."

Mara stopped in her tracks.

"What?"

The older woman looked surprised, "Oh, Luke didn't tell you? Leia Organa is my biological daughter. The Organas adopted her as an infant and they are her parents, but she and Luke are very close, as twins should be. I am thankful."

Mara followed her down the hall, thinking furiously. Was this true? Skywalker said his mother said strange things due to a brain injury. It seemed impossible that Leia Organa was Darth Vader's biological daughter…

Padme led them into a larger room which was obviously both communal living area and dining room.

The room was filled with a surprising number of people and droids. Mara found herself being guided into a chair near a table, and Beru Lars, whom she had met the previous night, appeared almost immediately with a steaming plate of rehydrated Convor eggs and nerf meat. It said much for both Mara's hunger level and Beru's gift of cooking that it tasted good. Luke Skywalker dropped into the chair next to her, and attacked his own plate of food with the vigor of a starving Danorian wolf.

To her surprise and relief, she was largely ignored by the others in the room – mostly because they were so busy arguing. She had been trained to disappear in a room through deception, but these people knew who she was and ignored her. It was oddly pleasant.

"Absolutely not, Princess Leia," Darth Vader said. He was still wearing a breathing mask as opposed to the iconic full black mask, but he had discarded his robes and thus was more recognizable as his infamous armor was fully visible, "This plan is far too dangerous and it is, furthermore, entirely unnecessary. If Naboo is in danger from the Hutts, we will send a Fleet to protect it."

"But you don't have a fleet available to protect it, Lord Vader," the Princess responded, her chin tilted up significantly so she could look Vader in the eye, "The time scale for the retaking of Imperial Center is tight, nor can you be certain which members of the Imperial Navy are willing to serve you. Given your well known penchant for strangling your men, many of them may find Ysanne Isard a far preferable leader."

"I will not permit you to place yourself in such a dangerous position, Princess" Vader rasped, "Pooja Naberrie can travel to us if you feel the need to consult with her…"

"Lord Vader," the Princess reached out and touched his arm, stopping him mid-sentence, "I truly appreciate your concern for me. But there is no indication that Naboo is in any immediate danger. Pooja Naberrie merely told me that the Hutts are beginning to attack transport ships. The Hutts are busy subjugating Ryloth and while Naboo may well fall under attack at some point, that time is not necessarily now. Furthermore, if you send a few Star Destroyers to Naboo, the Hutts may accelerate any plans for invasion in the hopes of striking a quick blow against the Empire.

"And I need to speak not just to Pooja but to the Queen and her advisors. This is merely an exploratory trip. I will meet quietly with the Queen and several advisors, and Captain Solo…" she nodded at a tall, dark haired man standing nearby, "has agreed to transport me secretly on the _Millennium Falcon_."

Vader's demeanor grew even more agitated, "You certainly will not travel to the Outer Rim in that dilapidated wreck of a ship…."

Solo spoke up indignantly, "Dilapidated? I assure you, Lord Vader, she's in tip top shape. She's the fastest ship in the galaxy and she can get in and out of any spaceport with minimal attention. I will take good care of your daugh…the Princess."

Darth Vader, who had been looking at Organa during this discussion, slowly swiveled his head towards Solo and took what could only be described as a 'menacing' step toward the man.

"Captain Han Solo," he said softly but clearly, "Your thoughts betray you. Is it possible that you entertain thoughts of…romance…with the Princess of Alderaan?"

"Um, sir, well…" Solo said carefully before being interrupted by the Princess.

She stepped next to Solo and grabbed the man's hand, even as she lifted her chin to glare fiercely at the Dark Lord.

"I certainly hope so," she said firmly.

There was a heart stopping moment and Mara felt herself begin to quiver in barely repressed fear. Vader's temper was legendary, and sometimes innocents were caught in the shock wave of his explosive rages.

She felt a tremor next to her and glanced nervously at Skywalker who was, to her astonishment, shaking with barely concealed glee.

Vader turned suddenly and stalked toward his son.

"Were you aware of this relationship developing between your sister and a _pirate_?" he hissed in obvious outrage.

Luke stood up and stepped forward, putting a soothing hand on Darth Vader's armored chest, "Father, we are discussing the safety of Mother's home planet, and your attempt to take over the Empire. Can we discuss Han and Leia's relationship later?"

Vader's eyes widened, but before he could speak Padme Skywalker spoke up, "I think I should go with you, Leia. It's my planet, my family still resides there, and I was both Queen and Senator of Naboo. I understand the political situation as an insider, and can advise you."

Queen and Senator? Really? Who _was_ this woman who had indeed borne twins to Darth Vader?

"Absolutely not," Darth Vader said firmly.

Padme eyes narrowed in obvious displeasure, but Luke walked over to her and said gently, "Mother, I know you really want to help Naboo but this is a trip for Leia. Your political skills are rightly legendary, but even with your medical improvement you are still weird sometimes. Very weird."

A reluctant smile graced the former Queen's face, "Weird, huh? Well, if I'm weird Leia and Chewbacca can just lock me in a cabin."

"You also need your next dose of CGA1629 soon, Mother, you know that," Leia interposed.

"It can wait…" Padme announced, only to be interrupted by Vader, who moved swiftly in front of her and grabbed her hands gently in his own.

"I need you, Padme, on Imperial Center," he said gently, "I need your moral center and your strength of mind. I can't do this without you. The temptation to use the Dark Side will be strong, but with you at my side, I can overcome it. My desire is that I assume command of the Empire with minimal bloodshed."

Padme Naberrie Skywalker smiled, a bit sadly, and lifted a loving hand to Vader's scarred face, "Very well, my Ani, I will do as you ask."

There was a long, silent, respectful moment until Vader turned and began pacing briskly.

"Princess Leia, since you are determined to go, I recommend that you be extremely careful to avoid attention when you land on Naboo. The galactic situation is fraught with uncertainty, and alliances are shifting."

"As for you, Captain Solo," the Dark Lord said with a glare, "I trust that if my daughter is in any known danger, you will make every effort to protect her. Furthermore, I advise you to treat her with all the honor and respect that she deserves as a Princess of Alderaan and daughter of a former Queen of Naboo. Is that clear?"

Solo clearly had more guts than brains, "You bet, Lord Vader, you bet. I will take really good care of her. And don't worry … Chewie isn't just a great cook, he's quite the chaperone as well."

Mara thought Vader's pale skin actually tinged slightly red at this statement, but he merely turned toward Skywalker and his mother and said, "I have already sent out messages to various Star Destroyer captains and officers, men whom I trust to work at my command. I included coordinates for a rendezvous a short distance from Stassia. The Fleet will be available to jump to Imperial Center at short notice.

"Given the time necessary to gather starship support, we must wait 3 days before embarking for Imperial Center. I intend to land the _Varykino_ in one of the larger landing bays in Imperial Center without being identified, using codes from my time as Palpatine's apprentice. Ideally, I will surreptitiously find a way into the Imperial Palace so I can challenge Ysanne Isard directly. Once she is dead or imprisoned, many of her underlings will lose their will to fight."

Skywalker clearly seemed skeptical, "Father, I know you are an amazing warrior and gifted in astounding ways, but sneaking around doesn't seem like your strong suit."

There was a drawn out silence, and Mara made a decision.

"I think I can help with that," she said, firmly throwing in her lot with this crazy clan of Skywalkers.

 _Author Note: Many many thanks for taking time to read and review. And to my dear husband, thank you again for taking time to check this fanfic for logic and grammatical errors._


	37. Chapter 37

_Secure Conference Room_

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Early evening_

Ysanne Isard gazed around at the 12 men seated around the conference table. A similar meeting yesterday had hosted 14 men, but 2 had regrettably died of "unknown causes" the night before after having openly rejected Isard's 'suggestions' about upcoming military operations.

A dozen of Isard's personal guards, a mixture of men and women, stood against the walls of the conference room, weapons at the ready.

Seven of the 12 seated at the table were Imperial grand admirals and admirals, called back to Imperial Center by the Emperor and still commanding their fleets in orbit around Imperial Center and other nearby Core worlds.

The remaining 5 men were members of the Emperor's Ruling Council. Four of the five were relatively insignificant sycophants - well dressed, soft, rich men whom Palpatine had enjoyed for their culture and fawning adulation. The last individual was far more significant – Ars Dangor. Isard permitted herself a thin smile at the man. They were rivals – she the Director of Imperial Intelligence, he the leader of the Council. Both had aspirations to the highest position in the Empire. However, both had realized that for now, a tenuous truce was the best way to prevent a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy from attempting a coup which would likely result in both their deaths.

Isard strode to the front of the table and addressed her audience, "Officers and Councilors, it is my pleasure to welcome you today. Sadly, two of our number are no longer with us. The aftershocks of the last few weeks have resulted in increased crime in Imperial Center, though our security forces are systematically pursuing all criminals. Regrettably, two of those who were here yesterday were killed last night by unknown miscreants. I have high level members of my security bureau tracking down their murderers."

There was rustling and shifting of bodies, but no one spoke. Isard flicked her gaze quickly around the table at the men, paying close attention to their facial expression and body language. All but Dangor looked suitably unnerved at her words. Excellent.

"Captain…" she said coldly, peering at a new man wearing only the insignia of a captain, "I am surprised to see a man of your junior rank here."

The man leaped to his feet and bobbed a nervous head, "Captain Piett, Director, of the Star Destroyer _Reprisal_. I regret that Admiral Ozzel is physically unwell this afternoon and ordered me to take his place until he recovers sufficiently."

"Thank you, then, Captain, for attending," Isard returned with a frigid smile. Ozzel was a fool and a coward, and had obviously decided that interacting directly with Isard was unhealthy. Or perhaps he was plotting directly against her. It was immaterial; Ozzel had neither the allies nor the ability to challenge her in any meaningful way.

"Admiral Gotan, if you would, describe the current situation on Weerden."

Gotan was an older admiral, able but not ambitious. Isard could use him.

He stood up and gazed around at his fellow admirals and councilors, "As you know, Weerden is a major producer of Stormtrooper armor and small arms weaponry. Given the regrettable loss of the Death Star some weeks ago, coupled with the disappearance of a small but significant number of Star Destroyers, the Empire is currently in need of vastly increased production on Weerden. The workers of the factories, the sentient ones, are unwilling to increase production to an appreciable level, claiming that they are already overworked and require more manpower. As of yesterday, they are on strike and production has ground to a halt."

"Do they indeed require more manpower?" another Admiral inquired.

Gotan glanced hesitantly at Isard and said carefully, "Certainly the required increase will strain their production abilities substantially…"

Isard interrupted, "No, they do not require more manpower. The workers on Weerden have grown soft under Governor Sarntist. We have attempted to persuade the sentients in the factories of the need to comply, and they refuse. Therefore, Admiral Gotan, you will order the Star Destroyers orbiting Weerden to bombard the sanctuary cities for the factory workers tonight. Those who die will be replaced by forced immigrants from other systems. Those who live will learn the folly of rebellion against the Empire. The word of this will spread throughout the star systems, showing clearly that while Emperor Palpatine is tragically no longer with us, order will be upheld."

"Director, you can't seriously…"

Isard turned incredulously. It was the lowly captain, Piett, speaking.

"I beg your pardon, Captain?" she said icily.

Incredibly, Piett did not back down, "Madame Director, the death of so many workers will slow down production even more, will it not? The Empire needs those supplies. It will take some time to import new workers and train them. I sincerely doubt that either his Royal Highness or Lord Darth Vader would pursue such a wantonly destructive course on a vital production planet…"

Isard hissed softly in fury. She marched over to one of her most trusted guards and held out a hand. The woman placed her blaster in the Director's fist.

Director Isard strode back to the head of the table and pointed the blaster at Piett's chest. The man blanched but, to his credit, did not cringe away in fear.

"The Emperor is dead, Captain Piett, as is Lord Vader. I rule the Empire now. And you, having clearly shown your reluctance to provide necessary discipline to the masses, will now be …. eliminated."

She fired the shot at Piett.

It traversed a meter through the air and then suddenly deflected back toward her, as if it had impacted an unseen wall. The bolt barely missed her ear and she staggered back in shock and disbelief, even as the room was suddenly filled with harsh, mechanical breathing. She noticed the men around the table leap to their feet and she spun around.

The black armored giant spoke, "Director Isard, I'm afraid that the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. "

/-/-/-/

 _7 hours EARLIER_

 _Landing Bay on Imperial Center_

 _The Varykino (hidden in plain sight using counterfeit landing codes)_

Padme Amidala sat on the bed watching her husband slowly fumbling his way back into consciousness.

He had spent the last 2 days enduring (his words) a series of medical procedures, none of them particularly invasive but totally annoying (again, his words.)

Her precious Ani. He had never been one for medical centers and after the horrors of Mustafar, she could understand his reluctance to do anything medically that wasn't absolutely necessary.

However, the combined pleas of his wife, his son, and his medical staff had convinced Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, that the time was right to improve his precarious health as much as possible.

Much more could, and should, be done, but it was a start. Anakin had admitted to her, with some reluctance, that his breathing was already better, as was his eyesight, after Sert had used up to date medications and processes to work on both lungs and eyes.

This particular treatment was focused on the scar tissue on Ani's face. She knew that it hurt for him to smile, or frown, or indeed stretch his skin in any way. Again, she felt a surge of hatred at Sidious for causing Anakin to suffer so badly, but then grimly pushed it away. Bitterness would not help, and admittedly Darth Vader's crimes were such that his pain was, in some sense, deserved. Of course, Palpatine's motives had not been retribution, but a way of controlling his powerful servant.

Anakin's eyes opened. She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.

He smiled at her through the breathing mask, and sat up as she moved over to the bed and settled in beside him.

For a few minutes, they sat there in silence, until Padme felt him tense slightly even as his iconic black mask floated off a nearby table and into his hands.

He stared down at the skull like façade which he had worn in public for nearly 20 years.

"Do you hate it so much?" Padme asked.

"Yes…and no," he said heavily, after a moment, "I despise that it cuts me off from humanity, that it is a barrier between me and those I love. I can see better with it, though, and the enclosed breathing support is more reliable than this mask. Given that I'll almost certainly be in battle, I need to know I can breathe. And…I need to wear it today. For appearances."

Padme nodded. As a politician, she understood that Vader's appearance alone would cause many to submit to him without bloodshed. He was rightly known and feared as a one man army.

"Do you have any advice for me, my love?" Anakin asked softly.

Padme turned so she could look at his face, "What kind of advice?"

"How do I take over an Empire, and almost certainly kill, and stay in the Light? I've killed thousands directly, millions indirectly, Padme. I want to feel something about death, but my heart seems … cold… to all save my family and those who love, or are loved by, my family."

Padme shivered slightly at these words, but forced herself to think. This was real vulnerability on Anakin's part and she hoped she could provide some useful insight.

The silence dragged on for two minute and then she said, "Do you remember Jango Fett, Anakin?"

The scarred face twisted slightly, and he nodded, "He tried to kill you."

"Indeed, and Mace Windu decapitated him on Geonosis. He was a man who killed for money, one could rightly say an evil man. A very dangerous man. And yet, when he died there was a son left behind, was there not?"

"A clone, yes, but Jango raised him as a son. He is a renowned and gifted bounty hunter himself now, Boba Fett. He watched his father die, and hates the Jedi and their associates. I employed him on more than one occasion as Darth Vader."

Padme grimaced but nodded vigorously, "There, you see? A dangerous man with a dangerous clone son. Both men deserve death for their willingness to kill and destroy for money. Yet, the son was grieved over the loss of his father. Perhaps that is part of the key, Anakin, to know that sometimes we have to kill, and yet every death of a sentient is its own tragedy. We can be glad someone is dead, because that person either deserves death or is a danger to innocent lives. And yet, we should never grow callous to death. I too have killed, you know that. And I too grew…almost indifferent…to death during the Clone Wars. So many died, many of them clones. But they were people too, with minds and hearts. I believe I protected myself by not caring as much as I should have."

"You always did care, Padme," her husband rejoined passionately, "Far more than anyone else I know."

She smiled at this, "You might possibly be slightly prejudiced, Anakin."

Then she grew more solemn, "I couldn't take all the death to heart because it would have destroyed me emotionally when I needed to be strong. Sometimes the reports of battlefield casualties, of civilian casualties, became no longer people, just numbers. It was a hard time. We were all affected."

She shrugged slightly, "I don't know, Ani. That's all I have to offer. Think about Jango Fett when you face Ysanne Isard and the other corrupted officials of the Empire. Even if there is nothing to be done with who they are now, there was a time when they could have been something better. That is true of everyone whom we despise and oppose, isn't it?"

Anakin nodded even as he carefully donned his helmet, "I will remember that, Padme. Thank you."

/-/-/

 _The Varykino_

 _Weapons Locker_

Luke stared incredulously as Mara grabbed yet another vibroblade out of the locker, inspected it carefully, scowled at it, and then carefully inserted it in her right boot.

"Exactly how many weapons are you going to carry in there?" he demanded, "I've lost count."

Mara looked up at him, "I think I'm up to 9 now, Skywalker. And if you'll take my advice, you'll carry something more than the lightsaber. I admit you are pretty good with it, but backup is always wise when entering an unknown and volatile situation."

Luke shook his head, "Ben says that a Jedi should need no other weapon than the lightsaber and the Force."

"That's just stupid," Mara snapped back, not mincing words, "And you're not exactly a Jedi yet, are you?"

Luke looked hurt, and she felt a twist of guilt in her gut. She owed Luke so much she shouldn't be insulting him. She knew how much he venerated the old Jedi Master Kenobi.

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment, "I've been trained to use many weapons and I believe that having backups of backups is wise."

His face shifted to being blank, and she could still feel the barrier up between them.

"You must do what you feel is right, naturally," he said stiffly.

She was surprisingly relieved when that most dangerous of men, Lord Vader, suddenly surged through the door of the weapons locker room.

Luke looked somewhat startled to see that his father's mask was back on, and both felt slightly unnerved when his first words were spoken in the well known rumbling bass of his mask's vocoder.

"Jade, were you able to access Isard's schedule?"

She stood and bowed her head respectfully, "Yes, Lord Vader. She has a meeting with a high level group of navy officers and members of the Emperor's Council, including Ars Dangor, in 6 standard hours. I anticipate it will take approximately 2 hours to make our way to the stated location of the conference room. It is of course possible that the posted location will change for security reasons. However, she has chosen the most secure conference room in the Imperial Palace. I'd like to add that the room's door and walls have probably been reinforced with cortosis ore."

"What is that?" Luke asked.

Vader turned to him, "It's a very rare material which shorts out lightsabers. Thus, it would take significant time to cut through the blast doors of the room when they are locked. I doubt that will be necessary, given that Jade and I together have slice codes for much of the Palace."

Luke's brow furrowed and he said hesitantly, "Mara thinks I should carry more than a lightsaber. What do you think, Father?"

Vader stared at Jade for a long moment, then turned to look at his son.

"If it were anyone else, I would say the lightsaber is enough. But you are my son and I love you, and your mother is worried. Bring a backup blaster, though I don't anticipate you will need it."

Luke looked guilty, "Should I stay with her? If she is worried about me…"

"No, Obi-wan will protect her, Son. And you and I can fight together and I cannot fight with Obi-wan, not now. There is still too much between us."

Luke smiled and Mara marveled at the obvious adoration in his eyes. Marveled and felt a strange twinge of envy. Vader was very…blessed…to have a son who loved him so much, in spite of his brutal reputation.

The son in question turned back to Mara and smiled at her as well, and she sensed affection and even, perhaps, something more. She grinned back. She was blessed too, to be even a small part of the Skywalkers' lives.

"All right, Mara, find me the perfect blaster."

/-/-/

6 hours later

 _Secure Conference Room_

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Imperial Center_

Ysanne Isard stared in stunned incredulity for one heart stopping moment.

Darth Vader! It was impossible! He was dead! Or injured! Or a Rebel captive! How had he made his way undetected this far into the palace?

Self interest kicked in.

"Kill him," she snarled at her guards, "He's a dangerous imposter!"

Even as Isard gave that order, she hurled herself to the left and behind a podium standing close to the wall, just barely avoiding the lightsaber that came scything toward her. She reached for a bracelet on her wrist and carefully entered a code, even as she heard the discharge of weapons from her guards and saw a mad scramble of 12 officers and counselors diving for cover.

With a grim smile, she pressed a button on her wrist,

Three explosives went off, explosives which had been carefully wired to the chairs of the 2 Admirals and 1 Councilor whom Isard had planned to execute today.

The men had all hastily vacated their chairs and were huddling behind the table for protection, but the explosions added smoke and confusion, and allowed Isard to dash for a small office adjacent to the conference room.

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, the flash of a lightsaber as Vader (and it clearly was Vader) cut down her elite guard.

She threw herself into the office and slammed the door shut and locked it.

Ysanne Isard slumped to the ground and panted in relief. She was safe for now, with Vader locked outside and the walls and door reinforced with cortosis ore. He wouldn't be able to break in here quickly, and the only other exit was too small for his huge frame.

She rose to her feet and moved to a terminal, intent on contacting her security staff.

/-/-/

Back in the conference room, Vader finished dispatching the remaining security guards. He strode hastily over to the door where Isard had disappeared, and attempted to cut through it with his lightsaber.

He growled, though not in surprise, when the saber shorted out. Cortosis. He sensed she was inside, probably contacting her underlings to deal with his attack.

The Dark Lord turned and observed the Naval officers and Imperial Counselors rising cautiously to their feet. He noted, absently, that two were sporting minor blaster wounds, apparently from deflected laser shots.

The next thing he observed was the look of amazed delight on the faces of 6 of the officers.

Since when had his officers been glad to see him? Had news leaked out that he had turned back towards the Light?

"Lord Vader," Admiral Gotan said in obvious relief, "Lord Vader. I am so glad to see you. Thank the stars that you are alive. Isard is mad, completely mad…"

Vader smiled behind his mask, grimly. He was just the better of two difficult options, apparently.

He glanced at the door as Luke and Jade stepped in.

"Any problems here?" Luke asked casually.

Vader gestured toward the closed office door.

"Isard escaped into that room and the door is cortosis. But she's trapped, at least."

Jade was looking intently at a datapad in her hand, and shook her head.

"There is a back way into that office, Lord Vader, and you won't fit in the corridors."

She looked up and Vader saw a dangerous glint in her eye, "But I can."

Alarms suddenly chimed loudly, and a mechanized voice spoke, "Attention! Attention all personnel! An imposter impersonating the deceased Lord Darth Vader has attacked Director Isard and other high level members of the Navy and Emperor's Council. Platoons 5 through 23 are ordered to proceed to Imperial Conference Room AA4 and destroy the imposter. Repeat…"

"We must take the Control Room of the Palace as quickly as possible," Vader said firmly, "Come with me."

He strode firmly to the exit door and down the corridor with Luke and the others at his heels.

Luke was too focused on his father and the maelstrom of sound and emotion to notice when Mara drifted to the end of the line and slipped away.

 _Author Note: I'm obviously switching back and forth between Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, depending on the situation and the person he is talking with. I hope that isn't too confusing._


	38. Chapter 38

**_Imperial Palace_**

Battle meld. Luke had heard Ben mention it, usually accompanied with aching sadness as the old Jedi obviously remembered, and mourned, the heartbreaking end of his relationship with his former padawan Anakin Skywalker.

"He was the only Jedi with whom I achieved a battle meld," Obi-wan said once, his eyes fixed on a small fire outside his hut on Tatooine, his gaze faraway.

Luke had been humbled by the hushed tone, and wondered if he would ever be good enough, and blessed enough, to achieve a battle meld with another Jedi.

It was beyond his wildest dreams that at the tender age of 19, with almost no experience in battle, he would meld with his father.

But clearly he had. Suddenly, he knew exactly what his father would do, knew exactly how to move his lightsaber to deflect those few oncoming bolts that were slipping past his father's saber. It was a wild dance, a fire in the heart and the spirit, a joining of souls beyond anything he had ever imagined.

And incredibly, it was Light. Yes, there was still Darkness in his father, but the meld itself was Light, as if Luke's Light attracted his father's Light.

They were battling their way across a large chamber which was the nexus of 8 corridors. Vader was leading them to the Control Room and facing very heavy opposition from armed troopers. Luke sensed the deaths in the Force as his father skillfully deflected bolts into gaps in armor, and then approached closely enough to the opposition to cut the men down. Luke grieved at the loss of life, but he knew there were no other viable options at this point. The tragic thing was that those dying likely didn't know whom they were fighting thanks to Isard's treachery. He was sure that if they had time to think, they would realize this was indeed Darth Vader, but in the heat of battle they attacked relentlessly. They were soldiers, trained for battle, and were operating on instinct

Luke and Vader and the others moved into a corridor and closed and locked the blast doors behind them. Luke instantly understood that his required task had changed. With all the opposition coming from in front of them, Vader no longer needed his help.

Luke's shifted his focus to assisting the 12 men following them. Most of the Imperial officers were proceeding at a good pace and were exuding disciplined calm, but 3 of the richly dressed individuals were obviously terrified. They were lagging fiercely and he found himself coaxing them along, especially the one man who had been injured back in the conference room from a stray blaster bolt. Luke had some sympathy for the man as he was clearly out of his element, but he was also slightly exasperated. The injury was very minor, and the Imperial officer who was injured was keeping up without encouragement. Luke could tell he was more seriously damaged.

Almost nervously, Luke sent a questing Force tendril toward Mara. She had crept off without being noticed 10 minutes before and while Luke knew there was no treachery involved, he was worried about her. She clearly was going after Isard herself and while Luke knew she was experienced, so was Isard.

But there was nothing to be done, and he could tell that thus far she was all right.

He pulled himself back to the present and discovered his father was standing near the end of the corridor, which was dead ending into another hallway. Luke tensed slightly. They would now have hostiles potentially coming from both directions.

Luke stepped up to him and gazed at his mask. He missed seeing his father's face, but understood why the mask was necessary at the moment.

Vader was standing still and Luke knew he was stretching out his senses. Clumsily, Luke did as well though he wasn't able to tell more than that there were indeed groups approaching from both directions, though one group seemed slightly closer. They would be on them in a few minutes.

"I will destroy the group coming from the right, Luke, and then we will proceed quickly toward the Control Room" Vader rumbled, "It will be difficult to protect the entire group if we are caught in crossfire."

To his son's surprise, one of the Imperial officers spoke up, "May I make a suggestion, Lord Vader?"

Vader looked down at the man, "Your name?"

"Captain Piett, my lord, of the Star Destroyer _Reprisal_. Sir, the men attacking us believe that you are an imposter. Perhaps I could station myself in the corridor and try to convince them that you are indeed Lord Vader? They will follow you without question, my lord, if they can be convinced of who you are."

There were murmurs of agreement from the other officers, though no one else volunteered to walk into a potential death zone.

"And you are certain, Captain Piett?" Vader asked curiously, "In spite of the Director's words?"

"No one privileged to accompany you these last minutes could doubt your identity, my lord," Piett responded promptly.

There was a hesitant pause. Luke could feel the turbulence in his father's mind. On one hand, killing the approaching squad would be faster and easier. On the other hand, Luke sensed … regret, at destroying these men who had been deceived by Isard.

"Very well, Piett, you may try," Vader said, "But if they begin firing, retreat immediately."

"I'll accompany the Captain," Luke said promptly, "And don't worry, I can deflect a few bolts and dive for cover if necessary. And I look harmless, you know I do."

Vader hesitated again, then clapped a large hand on Luke's shoulder, "Retreat if necessary, Luke. Don't be a hero. If you get hurt your mother will be most displeased."

Luke sensed the roiling surprise from the men at these words, even as he grinned and moved out into the corridor, followed by Captain Piett. Together they faced the sound of approaching boots.

/-/-/

 _Ysanne Isard's hidden office_

 _Tower #4_

 _Imperial Palace_

Isard hurried into her hidden office and hurled herself into the chair in front of her holoterminal. She quickly entered her passcodes even as she fought to maintain her calm. What she really wanted to do was indulge in a major tantrum, but there wasn't time.

That crazy, insane, lunatic of a Sith Lord Darth Vader. Why couldn't the man just have died and been done with it? She had come _so close_ to ruling in Palpatine's stead only to have that cyborg, that boring automaton, that melancholy drone show up out of nowhere. And how had he gotten into the Palace undetected? He was a hulk, not the sort of individual who could sneak through many corridors full of trained troopers.

She entered another code and glanced nervously at three terminals on the wall, then heaved a sigh of relief. The holocams in the corridors outside showed no sentient life. This office was located in a more decrepit section of the Palace where scores of morose and downtrodden workers were housed. The office was technically a storehouse for expired rations, and no one had ever tried to get through the heavily locked main door. Isard only used the 'secret' entrance into the office, at the end of a series of hidden corridors built into the Palace at Palpatine's orders. They were used primarily by the Hands and other trusted agents, but Sidious had gifted Isard with a map of the corridors as well.

And they were narrow and small. Darth Vader could not get in here; his bulk wouldn't allow it. She was safe. She was. Really. Entirely safe. She didn't need to worry right now about an enraged Vader showing up in the outer corridor and cutting his way through the doors, which were _not_ reinforced with cortosis ore. No, she wasn't worried _at all_ about that. After all, the Sith Lord had to be quite busy with the troops trying to kill him. Right?

Isard gritted her teeth and focused on the holoscreen in front of her. 2 billion credits were being rapidly dispersed into a variety of secret accounts. Once she had escaped Imperial Center, she would at least be rich beyond the dreams of avarice.

But wealth was not enough. She had been rich all her life and it had never been about money. She wanted power. She wanted to shape the Empire into her own image and with her own vision.

Isard leaned back against the chair and brooded. She was gifted in administration, brilliant, skilled in deception, trained by her father and the Emperor himself to rule through fear and manipulation. What was so special about Darth Vader? Besides the fact that he was an incredible adept in the mysterious and, frankly, annoying _Force_.

With an exasperated sigh, she leaned forward and carefully opened a secondary program. A few seconds of thinking, a series of keystrokes, and it was done. At the very least, Darth Vader would not rule from the Palace formerly held by their mutual Master, Sheev Palpatine. And if she were very lucky (not that she really believed in luck), Vader would be here when the time came and he really would be dead.

Her sulking was cut short by a sudden warning ping. She sat up so quickly her back twinged. Someone was approaching through the secret corridor entrance!

Isard grabbed her blaster and moved rapidly to the wall, aiming directly at where the intruder would emerge. It didn't matter who it was, whether enemy or potential ally. She needed to escape quickly, quietly, and alone. Whoever this was needed to die.

There was a nerve wracking pause and she heard quiet shuffling, followed by a strange skittering noise as a round object rolled into the room. She froze in horror. Bomb!

Even as she threw herself back in terror, the 'bomb' hissed and released a gas, odorless but very black and smoky. Within seconds, the small office was filled with smoke and she could no longer see the entrance to the hidden corridor!

There was a soft sound and she began firing blindly toward the entrance of the corridor, then toward her holoterminal as she could hear continued movement. There was a muted flash as a screen blew up, just as a body tackled her.

Isard twisted and kicked with her right leg even as she fought to bring her blaster to bear. Her opponent apparently whipped his head forward because Isard suddenly felt an intense pain in her nose and cheek as the individual's forehead slammed into her face.

She gasped in pain and fear as she successfully fired her blaster, just as her arm was pushed upwards. It discharged harmlessly against the ceiling.

The two bodies grappled frantically. Isard felt the tendrils of long hair against her hand and yanked on it viciously, pleased at the soft gasp of pain.

The other twisted again and dug a knee into her abdomen. Isard woofed as her breath flew from her lips, and the next instant she felt a strange prick against her neck.

Hypospray!

Isard felt the drug take hold of her and she sagged to the ground, powerless to fight.

The smoke cleared slightly and she stared up in fear and disbelief.

"Jade?" she whispered numbly.

"Hello, Isard," the red haired woman replied.

/-/-

 _Main Control Room_

 _Imperial Palace_

 _Imperial Center_

"This is Lord Darth Vader. From this moment forward, I am taking control of the Imperial Palace, Imperial Center, and the Empire. The reports of my death were obviously false. Madame Director Ysanne Isard treacherously attempted to end my life today by ludicrously fabricating the lie that I am an imposter of myself. Anyone with awareness of her location is ordered to contact the main security center immediately. I repeat…this is Lord Darth Vader..."

Luke tuned out the repeating message and glanced around the room. Thankfully, Piett's brave stand had yielded immediate results, and they were able to take over the Control Room of the palace without further hostility. Now, Vader stood tall and regal with the 12 officers and councilors who had escaped the conference room in a solemn ring around him.

The control room was filled with numerous other officers and security men, all of whom were exuding violent emotions from behind military calm. Some were clearly delighted and relieved, others were terrified. Some were both.

One of the Admirals…Gotan, Luke remembered, was updating his father on a variety of tactical issues as they both looked at viewscreens flashing a cacophony of data.

Luke shook his head slightly in awe and humility. He had never seen his father command in this kind of setting. Vader was obviously not just a great warrior, but skilled at gathering pertinent information. He could hear, barely, the questions passing between his father and Gotan, with occasional interpolations by other officers.

His comlink beeped softly, and he lifted it up with a slight frown. He had already spoken to Obi-wan about the successful taking of the Palace, but perhaps he had another question?

No, it was Mara. He heaved a sigh of relief, even as he answered.

"Yeah?"

After listening for a minute, he hesitantly approached his father, who broke off his conversation immediately.

"Um," he began, and stopped. How should he address Vader? As 'my Lord' (which would be awkward) or as 'Father'? Did Vader want their relationship out in the open immediately?

"Yes, Son?" Vader responded, answering that question.

There was a crashing wave of shock from the men surrounding them, which both of them ignored.

"Mara just contacted me. She has Ysanne Isard in custody but she said there is some kind of countdown on a monitor set for a little more than 4 hours. That sounds ominous."

Vader considered this and nodded, "Inform Jade that we will join her shortly and to keep Isard carefully restrained. But before you do that…"

The Sith Lord looked around the room, gathering everyone's gaze.

"This is my son, Luke Skywalker," he said simply, "His safety is paramount. He is very important to me. You will obey him as you obey me. Is that clear?"

There were murmurs of agreement from the shocked faces.

"Come, Luke," Vader said.

/-/-/

 _Ysanne Isard's hidden office_

 _Tower #4_

 _Imperial Palace_

Isard woke up. She straightened her lolling head and looked around in confusion.

She was sitting in the main chair in her office, which was now situated a meter from the main holoterminal. Her head ached and she was aware of dried liquid, no doubt blood, on her face from her tussle. A quick glance at the countdown monitor (which had survived her random blaster shots) showed she had been unconscious for only 10 minutes.

Mara Jade, of the flaming red hair, was perched on a stool and was rapidly making herself acquainted with the multitude of files available on the terminal. Isard had regrettably failed to close down the terminal before confronting her.

Isard muttered to herself in outrage, even as she tugged her wrists. Not surprisingly, the binders attaching her to the chair's armrests held firm. Jade was, she knew, trained in both assassination and capturing individuals alive. There was no way she was breaking free.

Which left her mouth and her brain to get out of this mess.

"What exactly are you doing?" she demanded harshly. It would not do to appear either afraid (though she was) or friendly (which she was not.)

Jade continued to peruse files for another few seconds, before starting a background program and turning toward her.

"I'm copying files over to a private server so that Lord Vader can access them, just in case you have some kind of kill program that will start destroying records."

Isard sucked in a sudden breath. Jade was working with _Vader_? If so…her heart pounded…the Dark Lord no doubt knew where she was. She considered herself a brave woman, but the thought of an interrogation at Darth Vader's hands was beyond terrifying.

"He betrayed Emperor Palpatine and destroyed the Death Star and its men," she said abruptly, "Did you know that?"

This was her only hope, but it was a reasonable one. She knew Jade was completely devoted to Palpatine; indeed, the Emperor had openly said he trusted Jade more than Isard. It had rankled deeply at the time, but perhaps it would save her now.

"Yes, I know," Jade responded coolly, sending that hope to an early death, "I admire him for it. At least he woke up to Palpatine's treachery and manipulation before that sneaky, conniving, _transafloux_ died of moonglow poisoning. I wasn't that smart."

A part of Isard's brain wondered what a _transafloux_ was, but she didn't have enough mental energy to dwell on it. Nothing good, from context. Besides, her brain was threatening to seize up from a mixture of outrage and fear. How dare this little brat have the temerity to insult and judge her dead master?

"Sheev Palpatine was the greatest man who ever lived, Mara Jade," she hissed angrily, "You were privileged to be deemed of some small use to him. Your convenient transfer of loyalty to Vader shows how unworthy you were. I always thought so, and my suspicions were obviously correct."

Jade scooted closer on her stool until the woman was all of half a meter from her.

"Yes," Jade replied," You made it quite clear that you despised me when I was younger."

Isard's dry throat grew even dryer. She had forgotten about those…incidents…when Palpatine had permitted her to unleash her ire on the young Hands, including Jade. She had enjoyed providing some of the more brutish agents to beat the young ones in hand to hand combat. She had overseen some of those beatings and Jade had always been a target of her particular aggression. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps the girl's beauty had rankled? Perhaps it was merely the awareness that Jade had abilities in the mysterious Force that she would never have?

And now she was helpless before the woman she had humiliated and harmed.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Isard," Jade ground out, "Though the temptation is there. It remains to be seen what Lord Vader will do with you, but that isn't my call."

"I can pay you a great deal to release me," Isard whispered softly. It was a forlorn hope, but she had to try.

Jade suddenly chuckled, "Oh, shut up, Isard."

She leaned over and pushed a button and the outer corridor door slid open.

The Dark Lord of the Sith stalked in, followed by attendant acolyte.

Isard shrank back in terror.

"Greetings, Director Isard," he rumbled.

 _Author Note: Thanks again for reviews and follows! It is most encouraging. A few people have honored me by asking me to write fanfics on request. I am flattered, but reality is that my knowledge of the SW universe is restricted largely to the movies and some of the Legends books (post ROTJ). I haven't seen Rogue One or watched the various animated SW series. So I'm just going to write fanfics revolving around Vader and Luke._


	39. Chapter 39

_Ysanne Isard's hidden office_

 _Tower #4_

 _Imperial Palace_

Luke watched in trepidation as his father stared in cold fury down at the bound woman on the chair.

He understood that Isard's behavior was immoral and criminal, and that she probably deserved death. Nevertheless, he didn't particularly want to watch an execution, nor did he believe that his father murdering Isard in cold blood was healthy at this critical moment, when Light and Dark struggled for domination in his father's spirit.

He shivered slightly. This part of the palace was so…evil…so full of anger and suffering. And Isard, bound to the chair, was exuding a fear that mirrored that of his sister Leia, in the holding cell on the Death Star, when Luke burst in to save her from torture at their father's hands.

He shuddered.

Luke noted his father's shift of attention from Isard to himself. A questing Force tendril touched him, gentle with love, concern, and a thin thread of remorse. He felt the growing rage simmer down in response to his own discomfort.

"Director Isard," his father said calmly, turning back to the woman, "You are responsible for the death of many brave and loyal troopers today."

"They died for the Empire," Isard hissed back, "In a vain but noble attempt to mitigate your treachery. You are a traitor, Lord Vader, a traitor to your master and to all for which the Empire stands."

"Treachery is the way of the Sith," Vader replied dryly, before turning to Mara, "Report, Jade."

She rose to her feet and said formally, "My Lord, it appears that Director Isard has set numerous explosives to detonate in…3 hours 43 minutes standard. I was able to ascertain the location of some of the bombs, but many remain hidden behind deceptive code. Even if we can find them all it will not, in my view, be possible to defuse them all within the necessary time. It appears that Isard's goal is to bring down the main sections of the Palace that remain standing after Emperor Palpatine's Force induced frenzy at the time of his death."

Vader considered briefly, then waved Jade out of the way and sat down in front of the screen. For a few minutes, he worked the holoterminal, obviously attempting to use his own high level codes to find and shut down the explosives. His mounting irritation surged through the Force as he failed.

Eventually, he rose and stalked back over to Isard.

"The codes to shut down the explosives, Isard. Tell me what they are."

Isard's hatred exceeded her fear, "I will not tell you, Lord Vader, and don't imagine you can torture it out of me in the required time. I promise you I will not break. You know I have training to withstand torture, and I only need to last 3 hours…41 minutes now."

There was a pause, and then Luke heard his father's voice in his mind.

 _You should step out for this_ , _Luke_ , his father's internal voice stated, calmly yet with chilling intent.

 _I'm not leaving, Father,_ Luke replied, _And while I fear your temper, I still feel obligated to say this is a bad idea._

Luke felt a tremor of guilt from his father, followed by a more subdued mind thought, _We have limited time, my son. The only chance of getting the codes is by attempting to do a mind probe with truth drugs._

 _Why bother, Father? This place reeks of the Dark Side, of death and destruction and manipulation. Symbolically, wouldn't it be better to start your reign as Emperor from a new place, one not associated with Palpatine? I think this palace is better off destroyed, provided we can evacuate everyone on time. And almost 4 hours seems plenty of time for that. Isard can be blamed for the mess, and you will be celebrated for nobly saving everyone._

His father turned to look at him now, and Luke sensed startled surprise.

"That is a politically astute suggestion," Vader said aloud.

"Well, I do have one politically minded parent, after all," he returned with a slight smile.

There was a strange sound from the vocoder, which Luke correctly interpreted as a laugh, but which drove all the remaining blood from Isard's cheeks. It did sound rather hideous.

"I will return. Keep close watch on Isard."

Luke watched his father exit the room.

Luke turned towards Jade and observed her carefully. Except for a rapidly darkening bruise on her right cheek, she seemed well enough. Her opponent looked worse, with dried blood on her face and a clearly broken nose.

With a sigh, he removed a medkit from his backback and found a cold pack, which he threw towards Jade. He then pulled another chair over and began carefully cleaning the blood off Isard's face.

"So I assume you didn't have too much trouble?" he asked Jade casually, even as his cleaning revealed the bruises under Isard's eyes.

"Not really," Jade said, pushing herself on her stool over next to him, "We had quite the tussle in the middle of a huge plume of smoke from a smoke bomb I threw, but obviously I got the upper hand. Thanks to my insistence on bringing plenty of weapons, I had a hypospray available at the critical moment."

Luke grinned at her, "Point taken, Jade."

He finished cleaning off Isard's face and brought out some water, carefully holding it to her mouth so she could drink a little.

Jade shook her head, "I'm not sure you should be succoring the enemy though. Lord Vader might not like it."

"I need to do what I believe to be right," Luke responded seriously, "Regardless of his opinion."

"Then you are a fool," Isard snarled, speaking for the first time since Vader had left, "A complete fool. Do you imagine that Vader won't kill you at the first hint of questioning his orders, much less open rebellion to his directives?"

Luke smiled a little sadly, "I'm rather a special case. Lord Vader is my father."

Isard's face changed instantly from fury to stunned disbelief, "That's ridiculous. Impossible."

"Nope, not impossible," Luke replied calmly, grabbing another water bottle from his pack and handing it to Jade, "And if you are wondering why my father turned against the Emperor, you can blame family considerations. He saw through Palpatine's lies and manipulation over the last 20 years and is doing his best to bring healing to our family and the galaxy. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to help him along that path, including treating prisoners humanely."

Isard's sputtering was cut off by the door of the office opening again. Vader stepped in and focused on his son.

"Your mother…" (Luke noted the additional surge of emotional shock from Isard) "…agrees with your assessment of the situation. We are starting the evacuation now."

/-/-/-

 _Millennium Falcon_

 _Main Lounge_

 _3 days out of Naboo_

Leia Organa glanced up and set her datapad aside as Han Solo stepped in, bearing two bowls of stew.

Her nose twitched appreciatively and she smiled as Solo set her bowl down on the table in front of her.

"May I join you?" he asked gallantly.

She smiled and patted the seat next to her, even as she called out, "Thank you, Chewbacca!"

There was an answering roar from the galley, and she grinned as she lifted a spoonful of the stew into her mouth.

"It really is amazing how Chewbacca can make expired rations taste good," she commented.

"Who said they were expired?" Han huffed indignantly.

"Chewie did," Leia replied with a chuckle, "Though he said you've managed to augment the galley with a few extra ingredients to spice things up a bit."

Han chuckled back, then nodded at the datapad, "Are you watching your bio mom's Senate speeches some more?"

Leia nodded and sighed, "Yes…"

It had been startling when Vader had sent her copious files of Padme Amidala's speeches. The accompanying note had been brief and to the point, something on the lines of "you deserve to see your mother as she was" but the fact that Vader had stored away those speeches for decades told its own tale.

She trailed off. Solo waited quietly until she continued, "It makes me sad, Han, and angry. She was so brilliant, so intelligent, so compelling. It is a tragedy that the galaxy was deprived of her gifts for twenty years. She might have really made a difference in the early years of the Empire, when Palpatine's grip wasn't quite so tight. And her husband nearly killed her. Her husband who claimed he adored her…"

"Or she might have been killed by one of Palpatine's agents," Solo interrupted.

Leia sat up with a frown, as he continued, "Listen, Leia, what Vader did, what Anakin Skywalker did, was horrible. But be realistic. You and Luke and Padme Skywalker were a huge danger to Palpatine. I've not been around Vader a lot, but it's obvious that finding out about his family changed his views on almost everything. Palpatine would have done anything he could to remove you all to keep Vader in check. He might not have succeeded…"

Leia blinked and leaned back, "No, you're right, Han. Palpatine killed so many that it is likely she would have been assassinated if she'd stayed public, quite apart from our likely fate. And Vader was under Palpatine's thumb so yeah… It just…I just…I don't know what to feel about Vader. About Anakin. I mean, I hate him for who he is and yet I feel sorry for him, incredibly enough. And then I feel guilty for feeling sorry for him. He is, he was, anyway, a monster."

"Well, it's hard to imagine feeling sorry for him," Solo agreed.

Leia reached out her hand and gripped his. For a long moment, there was a silence.

Leia felt tears gathering in her eyes and she closed them, "He was a slave, you know? On Tatooine. First to a Hutt, then to a Toydarian merchant. His mother was too. "

Solo squeezed her hand in his own, "No, I didn't know that."

She nodded and opened her eyes, fixing it on the far wall, "When he was 9, a pair of Jedi found him, one of them being Obi-wan Kenobi. They managed to free him, but his mother was left behind in slavery. She was freed by Owen Lars' father, a widower who bought her, freed her, and married her."

Solo whistled softly, but said, "Well, that's good, isn't it?"

Leia gulped, "But then Tusken Raiders abducted her. Anakin sensed her pain in Force visions and came back to Tatooine for the first time in ten years. He went out into the desert and found her a month into her captivity. She'd been beaten and tortured and abused. She died in his arms. He killed every Tusken in the camp that night."

She shook her head, "So that's why I feel sorry for him, Han. He loved his mother, there is no doubt. And he was gifted was such power in the Force and … the Jedi didn't understand him. The Order took children as infants and toddlers and raised them in the Temple. He was deeply attached to his mom and they didn't understand that, so he had no support. So he had a difficult early life, incredible power, lack of understanding from his mentors, and an evil, corrupt, manipulative Sith Lord pretending to be a kindly Chancellor working on him for years. And when he thought he had killed his wife and child, he turned away from everything good that was in him."

"Your biological mother told you all this?" Han asked.

Leia nodded tightly. It had been a difficult conversation, starting with Leia's open anger at Padme's forgiveness of Vader for his crimes against her and her children. The knowledge of Vader's past did help her understand him, but she still felt rage at what he had done. Unlike her mother and brother, she found it difficult to forgive.

She said that, out loud.

"Is anyone pressuring you to forgive him?" Han asked gently.

Leia groaned softly, "No, no one is. My real parents, my biological mother, Luke, even Vader. Everyone is being very understanding of my turmoil. But I don't know; it makes me feel childish that everyone else is able to move on and I'm not. I still wake up at night sometimes with…I don't know…like a flashback? This feeling of terror, like I'm being strangled."

She looked shyly at Han, "I know you are not sure of this Force thing but Luke says that maybe I'm remembering something from the womb, when he attacked Mother. I don't know. It's visceral and raw. I hate it."

Solo gently disengaged his hand and scooted closer, gently placing an arm around her. The weight of his embrace was reassuring.

"Leia, I'm not a diplomat or a major galactic player, I'm just a smuggler who has seen a lot. You are who you are. Don't pressure yourself to 'get over' your issues with Darth Vader. I think working through your bitterness is way better than burying it. Vader is guilty of a lot of stuff against the galaxy in general and your family in particular. It's Ok to be struggling."

Leia looked up and smiled shakily. How she appreciated this man. He wasn't in her social class, he was significantly older, and the attraction between them had surprised her. But the more she spent time with him, the more she admired him – not just for his courage and his looks, but for his mind and his heart. She truthfully was not sure how well she would be functioning now if she hadn't been able to retreat to the _Falcon_ many times in the last few weeks. Chewbacca consistently provided excellent meals, and she and Han sat and talked. A couple of times, Luke had been able to join them. She knew her parents were unaware of her burgeoning relationship with the smuggler, but Luke knew and approved, and she decided that was good enough.

"Thank you, Han."

There was a gentle rumble from the door and both looked up to see Chewbacca staring at them curiously.

He howled and Han said, "I'm good, Chewie, and I think Leia's had enough. It was really great, Buddy. Thanks!"

Further howling and Han said firmly, "You can tackle that, but do not mess around with the nav circuit. I just got it working right and I don't need 2 meters of fur screwing up my work."

There was a Wookie roar of laughter, and Chewbacca disappeared into the cockpit.

Leia chuckled even as she considered Chewbacca's decision to move to the cockpit, not his cabin in spite of it being the night cycle. It was notable that Chewbacca really did 'hang around' when Han and Leia were together.

"So you weren't joking about that 'chaperone' thing, were you?" Leia asked, then added, "I noticed Chewbacca is usually within earshot when we're together."

Han blushed just a little, and said, "Well, I will admit I don't want to get on the bad side of your father."

"Which one?" Leia asked wryly, and then caught herself. It was the first time she'd really considered Vader in those terms, as her father. Maybe all this talking was more cathartic than she thought.

"Either of them," Han responded truthfully.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably and said seriously, "Listen, Leia. I've had … past relationships…with women which were based on physical attraction. They didn't end pleasantly. I respect and admire you a great deal and I don't want our relationship to be spoiled by… um…by moving forward physically in a way which would probably ruin what we have. I don't know if I'm explaining myself well."

Leia's eyes widened, "I wouldn't say well. What are you saying, Han?"

Han swallowed and looked away, "I'm saying…I love you, Leia."

Leia gulped, hesitated, then opened her mouth. What came out surprised her.

"I know."

Solo turned and looked at her in disbelief, his eyebrows lifting comically. He then grinned that wonderful lopsided smile, "You know? What does that even mean?"

Leia laughed out loud and leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on his lips, "It means, I love you too, Han Solo."

/-/-/

 _Holonet Station_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

 _5 hours later_

Cray Shifton shifted uncomfortably and nervously adjusted his collar. He could just make himself out at the edge of the holocam view currently being beamed across the galaxy. He looked rather odd in a sedate outfit, almost Imperial gray, with his hair was smoothed down and shorter than usual.

Not that anyone was paying attention to him. All eyes were no doubt on Lord Darth Vader, currently speaking in his intimidating bass, claiming the position of leader of the Empire and explaining the very recent destruction of the Imperial Palace by explosives. They had been triggered by the previous leader, Ysanne Isard, who was now under arrest. Thankfully, everyone in the palace had been evacuated before the bombs detonated.

Cray shifted again and then stilled when a nearby Imperial officer glared at him. How he missed Relinka. She could be supremely irritating, but she was so vibrant that she pulled attention away from him. He had resented that at times, but right now, with the government in complete turmoil, with leadership coming and going like nomadic yellow-barred heliconians, he would prefer less attention.

He firmly pulled his mind away from Relinka. She had disappeared abruptly, without explanation, right after Prince Xizor had blasted his way off the planet with Sate Pestage as hostage. Relinka's open adulation of Xizor had probably sealed her fate. Cray could only hope she was in a prison cell somewhere though likely she was dead.

He focused in on Lord Vader, who appeared to be finishing his comments. One thing he could trust about Vader was that he wouldn't pontificate at length; he was well known for his brevity of speech.

The Dark Lord of the Sith paused and then continued in a measured tone, "My last announcement of the evening deals with my personal life, but is certainly germane to the issue of my ascension to Emperor. Several months ago, I was amazed and delighted to discover my son Luke, who was living in obscurity on an Outer Rim planet due to a tragic series of misunderstandings and circumstances. It is my honor to present to you my heir and son, Luke Skywalker."

Shifton's gasp would have been heard across the galaxy, except that it was drowned out by similar incredulous gasps from everyone else in the Holonet studio. A short, slight young man, whom Shifton had assumed was some kind of aide, stepped forward next to Vader, who placed a large and obviously proud hand on his shoulder.

/-/-/

 _Tosche Station, Tatooine_

 _Laze 'Fixer' Loneozner's mechanics shop_

"Fixer, FIXER!"

Fixer growled and strode into the office of his shop. He had a recalcitrant motor to repair for an important client and the last thing he needed was trouble with his girlfriend. But Camie sounded frantic, so …

She was standing in front of the Holonet received, her mouth hanging open.

"What is it, Camie?" Fixer demanded irritably.

"Fixer, isn't that…"

Both of them grew silence as they focused in on the words coming from Darth Vader.

"…several months ago, I was amazed and delighted to discover my son Luke, who was living in obscurity on an Outer Rim planet due to a tragic series of misunderstandings and circumstances. It is my honor to present to you my heir and son, Luke Skywalker."

Camie's mouth was dropped so low that she was nearly drooling, and Fixer was fairly certain his own face held a similarly ridiculous look.

They exchanged looks of disbelief.

"Luke!?" Camie finally choked out.

 _Author Note: Fixer and Camie are old 'friends' of Luke's on Tatooine, though they weren't always that friendly. They appeared many chapters ago and you may have forgotten who they are_ _J_ _._


	40. Chapter 40

_Two days later_

 _Millennium Falcon_

 _6 hours out of Naboo_

Han Solo rolled reluctantly out of bed and, staggering slightly from fatigue, made his way towards the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_. It was well before his usual wake time, but they would be reaching Naboo in 6 hours and he wanted to make sure all his entry codes were up to date and the ship was as operational as it ever was.

He had a reputation for being willing to fly by the seat of his pants, but Leia was here and he didn't want to risk her safety from a preventable mechanical error.

To his surprise, the princess was sitting on a chair in the lounge, a steaming cup of caf on the table in front of her. She looked as tired as he felt.

"You all right, Leia?" he asked worriedly.

She smiled forlornly and stirred her caf, "Not really, Han. I had a bad dream."

Han walked over and slipped onto the seat next to her. He put an arm around her shoulders, "You want to tell me about it?"

To his delight, she leaned her head against his shoulder, even as she said, "No, because…I can't remember it."

He wasn't tempted to laugh. He could feel her trembling slightly. The dream had obviously disturbed her. They sat silently for a few minutes, and then she straightened up and turned to him.

"There were explosions, Han…but I can't remember anything else. It seems like it was important."

Han frowned slightly, "Maybe a memory? You've been through a surprising amount for a pampered little princess."

She grinned at his rather feeble attempt at humor, then sighed, "I don't know. Anyway, I've tried to remember and can't, so I might as well do something useful. Any tools I can hold for you?"

He grinned. She actually was quite adept mechanically, which had surprised him. She delighted in teasing him about all his erroneous assumptions of her.

"Chewie's been fussing at me that the dejarik board is malfunctioning, Leia. Care to give me a hand?"

/-/-/-

 _Darth Vader's Palace_

 _Darth Vader's Office_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

The aide stepped into the small waiting chamber and announced, with perhaps a touch of sympathy, "You may come in now, Captain Piett."

Captain Piett stood up and ran a quick finger under his collar. His previous interactions with Vader and his bewildering son had been extremely intimidating, but at least Piett hadn't been the focus of the Sith Lord's undivided attention.

Being summoned to the now Emperor's office for a one on one meeting had increased his stress levels to mammoth heights, but he didn't have a choice.

Resolutely, he marched into the office and dropped to one knee before Emperor Vader, who had assumed the Imperial throne in a hasty ceremony only 24 hours ago.

Vader gestured and said quickly, "Rise, Captain. You are not required to bow to me."

"As you wish, your Highness."

The Emperor finished tapping in a few quick keystrokes onto his terminal and then turned directly toward the Captain.

"Captain Piett, I was impressed with both your willingness to challenge Isard and your courage in facilitating the end of fighting during the taking of the Imperial Palace."

Piett blinked, "Thank you, your Highness."

"Furthermore, your military record is excellent. Therefore, after some deliberation, I have decided to assign you as an aide to my son Luke Skywalker."

Piett gulped, but managed to stammer out, "I am honored, your Highness."

There was a hesitant pause. Piett forced himself to stare directly at the empty eye sockets of Darth Vader's mask. Again, he found himself wondering what was behind that mask. There had been rampant speculation that the Sith Lord was a droid or an alien but his son, assuming Skywalker really was his son, was clearly human…

Vader said suddenly, "Luke Skywalker truly is my son, Captain, be assured of that."

Captain Piett felt the blood drain from his face. He had heard rumors that Vader could read minds, but he had never really believed it.

He waited fearfully. 'They' also said Vader could kill without touching you, and that was likely true too.

Thankfully, the Emperor turned away slightly and said slowly, "And given that he is my son, you will be … made aware, of certain aspects of my personal life that are not to be shared with anyone outside of my family and immediate associates. Are you willing to abide by that condition, Captain?"

"I will, your Highness. I pledge you my word."

There was no hesitation on Piett's part. When he had stood in that corridor waiting to mediate with the oncoming troopers, Luke Skywalker had stood at his side, willing to protect him. While no shots had been fired, Piett would be eternally grateful to the Dark Lord's son putting himself in harm's way on his account. Given what he knew about Luke Skywalker's importance, that was nearly beyond belief.

A soft sound, like a sigh, escaped the Emperor's vocoder, "Very well, come with me."

He turned and stepped through a door leading into another room, with Piett following at a respectful distance.

Inside was a large living area, furnished with comfortable chairs and couches. A small kitchen area stood in one corner, with a shiny protocol droid arguing softly with a food dispenser unit.

In the middle of the room stood the young Luke Skywalker, with a fierce scowl on his face. Directly in front of the youth was a lovely, middle aged woman with dark brown hair cascading down her back. Seated on a nearby chair was an older woman with kind, if weather-beaten, features, who was working away with needle and thread on a piece of fabric in her lap.

Skywalker was wearing a uniform with tailoring similar to Imperial officers but the color was black—not gray. The black was likely meant to match his father's armor, but the young man was so young and so short that he looked more cute than intimidating.

"It's tight here," Skywalker groused, lifting a hand to the collar.

"My dear, you're just used to clothes from Tatooine. You'll get used to them. And you look wonderful."

"I think I look ridiculous."

"You look very handsome," the woman responded firmly, "It's important politically that you fit in with the prevailing dress code."

She turned to look at the Emperor and said with a glowing smile, "Doesn't Luke look wonderful, Ani?"

Ani?

The Emperor stepped forward and touched his son's shoulder, "You look very well, my son. And your mother is right. Regrettably, appearances are important. As my heir, you will need to adjust to meet expectations."

Skywalker's mother? That meant…

The Emperor turned to Piett and gestured for him to come closer. He did so, nervously.

"Captain Piett, this is my wife Padme. Padme, this is Captain Piett, who will be Luke's personal aide. Luke, the Captain has experience both with the military and the civilian Imperial government, and will be of great assistance as you grow accustomed to life on Imperial Center."

Skywalker looked over and gave the Captain a quick nod, "I definitely need all the help I can get. Thank you, Captain."

"It is my honor," Piett managed to force out. Skywalker's mother was a raving beauty. How had she…and Vader…

He shut that thought down very quickly before he found himself strangled.

"It isn't just the clothes, Father," Skywalker continued in a complaining tone, "Mother says I need to learn to mingle at court functions. What does that even mean? What can I find to talk about with people here? I'm an Outer Rim farmboy! I can't exactly discuss moisture evaporators."

"I don't mingle, Son. I loom, menacingly," the Emperor said firmly.

Piett's eyes widened. Did the Emperor really just say that?

"Ani!" Padme said with a scolding tone but an adoring smile, "You are not helping. And darling, aren't you tired of that mask? Doctor Sert is next door. Why don't you take off that awful thing for at least an hour or so."

The Emperor nodded and left the room. Piett relaxed infinitesimally, while firmly shoving his multitude of questions and speculations into a remote part of his brain.

"What do you think, Aunt Beru?" Skywalker said.

The older woman on the chair stood up and walked closer to the Emperor's heir.

"I think that you can trust your instincts, the Force, and the lessons of Tatooine, Luke. The Imperial court may seem very different from the desert, but there are dangers in both places. There are people in both places – people with fears and desires and ambitions. Some are kind, some are evil, many are merely frightened and confused in the midst of the current political upheaval. I believe in you and your ability to adjust to whatever happens, as you have in the past."

Skywalker's face lifted with a boyish grin and he threw an arm around the woman, "Thank you, Aunt Beru."

His mother Padme burst into speech, "She's absolutely right, Luke, absolutely right."

To Piett's surprise, the woman began pacing up and down the room, her beautiful hands gesticulating, "The Empire is like …one of Aunt Beru's blue milk puddings. The crust on the top _seems_ firm, but underneath it is soft and pliable and weak, as aristocrats from the old Republic and the new rich under Palpatine and the security bureaus and the military and the regional governors all quake under the confusion of these last weeks. First Palpatine died, then Xizor and Pestage disappeared, then Isard was arrested. And your father was crowned Emperor. Many sentients are confused and afraid."

She turned and strode up to Skywalker, placing gentle hands on her son's shoulders, "Your father has immense power, Luke, and a strong intellect. But he isn't…approachable. I would venture to say that many who interact with him are terrified of him. That means he will be respected by those whom he leads, but it will be difficult for him to learn the true thoughts and feelings of those around him. You can be a bridge."

She stepped back and tilted her head, "I wonder if we should have you in something other than black. It isn't a very welcoming color."

Piett spoke up tentatively, "If I may say so, Madam, I believe black is appropriate for your son. It will make him look older."

Padme Skywalker (?) turned to him and smiled slightly, "I believe you are right, Captain. Thank you."

Piett bowed his head slightly, and wondered. Who was this woman?

Skywalker turned and looked at him directly, "Mother used to be Queen of Naboo, and later was Senator of Naboo at the end of the Republic era."

Piett twitched slightly. Wonderful. It appeared the heir could read minds as well.

/-/-/

 _Millennium Falcon_

 _1 hour out of Naboo_

Solo checked the landing coordinates one more time and then stepped into the main lounge, where Chewbacca was growling contentedly over the repaired dejarik board.

Leia wasn't here. He walked through the corridor to her room and found her sitting on her bed in her small cabin, with the door wide open. She looked up, waved him in, and held out a datapad.

"Can you watch this, please?" she asked. He sat down beside her and started the recording.

Padme Amidala appeared on the screen, staring straight at a holocam.

"Mother, Father, Sola…all my other dear ones. This is a hard message to record without tears. I'm alive, my beloved family. Alive. I know that seems impossible but it is true. 19 years ago, I suffered a severe brain injury and have been in a coma or near coma for much of the life since that terrible day. I don't know the details of my 'funeral' but I assure you that wasn't me. I'm doing much better now after specialized care.

"Again, I know this is a tremendous shock. I'm still under treatment so I'm entrusting this message to Princess Leia Organa, who is traveling to Naboo for diplomatic reasons. I am involved in the Rebel Alliance in a somewhat unusual capacity, so I encourage you to keep my current existence a secret for now. Leia Organa can give you more current information as she sees fit. And in order to ensure that you are confident of the identity of Princess Leia, here she is."

Leia appeared in the viewer, and looked at the holocam as well, "I look forward to meeting you, members of House Naberrie."

The message ended.

"So you decided not to tell them that you are Padme's biological daughter," Solo observed.

Leia sighed, "No. I really wanted to, we all did, but given that we're keeping my relationship to Vader and Luke secret, given that my biological father is likely crowned Emperor by now, we decided to wait until the galactic situation is stabilized. I was wondering if you could look up the coordinates of Varykino. If the negotiations go smoothly and there aren't any insane crises, I'm hoping we could go over to Varykino and deliver this message."

"You got it, Leia, no problem at all. How do you think they'll take it?"

The princess looked down at her hands, twisting them slightly, before looking into his eyes, "I don't know, Han. Will they even believe it? How would you respond to learning that someone you loved and lost and grieved almost 20 years ago is alive? It will be a challenging conversation, I'm sure."

She stood up and deliberately placed the datapad on the small table in the cabin, "But I look forward to it, Han. This is my biological family! I can't tell them that, but I can hardly wait to meet them."

/-/-/

 _Main Landing Bay for the Royal House of Naboo_

 _Theed_

 _Naboo_

 _1 hour later_

Senator Pooja Naberrie was waiting when Leia walked down the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_.

To Leia's surprise, her friend rushed forward and embraced her hard. The explanation was not long in coming.

"Oh Leia, I was so worried about you when I heard you'd surrendered to the Empire! I am incredibly relieved to see you really are alive and…you look well?"

Leia smiled at her first cousin (!) and returned the embrace.

"I'm fine, Pooja. I managed to escape without harm with the assistance of Obi-wan Kenobi, the Jedi."

There was way more to the story, of course, but they were in a public place.

Pooja guided her quickly out of the landing bay and into a small ground shuttle which took them to the main entrance of the imposing Royal House of Naboo. Leia relaxed as they climbed the front steps. The last few months of her life had been fraught with blaster fire and space battles and Death Stars and family turmoil. She relished the familiarity of her current mission. Diplomacy was woven deep into her psyche due to natural talent, training, and experience.

Leia and Pooja stepped into the front entrance and into a three story grand lobby, walled in marble, where a beautiful older woman stood waiting for them.

"Counselor Talz," Pooja said with a smile, "Is Queen Kalinza available to meet Princess Leia now?"

The Counselor smiled at Leia and then shook her head regretfully, "I'm sorry, Senator Naberrie, but the Queen's last meeting is running long. Perhaps you can take Princess Leia into the Royal Art Gallery for a few minutes? The Queen should be available soon."

Pooja looked a little surprised, but nodded, "Come, Princess, the Royal Art Gallery is rightly celebrated across the galaxy."

Leia smiled courteously and followed Naberrie through several corridors and into a gallery. She wasn't that enamored with art, but had learned to feign interest. This particular gallery was at least soothing, with soft lighting in the ceiling and relatively sedate paintings on the walls. She remembered an "auditory" art experience on Alsakan which had left her with a raging migraine.

Pooja was providing a few words of explanation about each picture when Leia's eye caught a large holographic painting down at the end of the gallery. She gazed at it for a long moment, her brow furrowing. It looked familiar…

"Pooja," she said at a reasonable break in the conversation, "What is that picture?"

Pooja smiled joyfully as she led her down the room, "Leia, you've got a good eye. This is a holographic representation of Varykino, the Naberrie family estate! It cycles through the seasons so you can see how it changes as Naboo circles the sun. I can't tell you how beautiful Varykino is in spring, though it is always lovely in my eyes."

She looked at Leia, who was standing, frozen, in front of the image.

Varykino.

White ships in blue skies.

Explosions.

Destruction.

Betrayal.

The nightmare from last night rushed back into her memory, rich in detail.

"Leia," her unknown cousin was shaking her arm, "Leia, are you all right?"

Leia forced herself not to panic.

She smiled at Pooja, a weak smile but nevertheless a smile, "Pooja, I'm so sorry. The Alliance has rather poor transportation facilities and I'm afraid I'm feeling a bit off from this morning's rations. Is there a … refresher nearby?"

Pooja's expression shifted from concern to sympathetic embarrassment.

"Of course, my dear, just this way."

She quickly led Leia out of through an obscure door and used her private code to open a door.

"Right in here, my dear. I'll be waiting for you but don't feel like you need to … hurry."

Leia smiled weakly and rushed in. It was thankfully a fairly large refresher with a lounge at the back for the high level politicians in the Palace.

She hurried as far away from the door as possible and yanked out her comlink, dialing in Solo's code.

 _Please answer, Han, please answer_.

He did, with reassuring speed.

"Princess, what's up?"

"Han!" she gasped back in relief, then forced herself to rein in her distress, "Han, I remembered the nightmare from last night. It was a premonition, a prophecy. I've walked into a trap."

"What…" Solo began, but Leia interrupted, "Please, Han, please. There is so little time. Please trust me on this. We've been set up."

"I'm coming to get you," he said immediately.

"No, Han, no…please, I need you to do something else, something far more important. Please if you love me, and I know you do…"

"I'm not leaving you in danger, Leia, you know I can't!"

"Han, you can't rescue me now. Please do what I ask and then contact Vader and Luke, they'll know what to do."

There was a hesitant pause, and then a mournful sigh gusted through the comlink, "All right, Leia, what do you want me to do?"

/-/-/

 _10 minutes later_

Leia exited the refresher to find Pooja and, not surprisingly, Counselor Talz.

She knew she looked pale and drawn but her explanation of an upset stomach would likely keep them from asking uncomfortable questions.

Pooja asked hesitantly, "Are you all right, Princess Leia? We perhaps could delay the meeting."

Leia considered this briefly. There was no point in putting off the inevitable.

"No, I'm fine. I do apologize. I'm afraid my pilot skimped on the rations rather badly. He's a mercenary, not a loyalist, but he was coming this way and his ship is conveniently nondescript."

Perhaps that would deflect attention from Han for the critical minutes.

She smiled wanly and walked next to Pooja through several corridors, with Counselor Talz behind them.

Pooja chattered happily and innocently as they approached large white doors which, according to discreet signs, led to the Royal Dining Room.

"I'm so excited for you to meet Queen Kalinza again, Princess Leia. She said you and she attended a political rally 5 years ago and she was very impressed with your acumen."

Leia nodded as the doors slid open.

At the head of a long table stood a tall alien, skin a vibrant orange, dressed in a richly ornamented red jumpsuit and cape. The Falleen, Prince Xizor, of Black Sun.

To his right was the Queen of Naboo, the fear clearly exposed on her face which was without her ceremonial make-up. Behind her, a beautiful blond woman held a blaster to the Queen's head.

Leia was unsurprised to feel a blaster poking into her back and the words of Counselor Talz, "Don't make any sudden moves, Princess."

Xizor spoke, "Princess Leia, Senator Naberrie, we would be honored if you would join us."


	41. Chapter 41

_Royal Dining Room_

 _Royal House of Naboo_

 _Theed_

 _Naboo_

"What…is the meaning of this?" Pooja Naberrie stammered in confusion.

Leia made sure that her own face was twisted into an expression of fear and bewilderment.

The Queen spoke up in a shaky voice, "Counselor Talz has betrayed us all."

The woman behind Leia shoved her forward and she staggered. Talz circled to one side, keeping her blaster pointed at Leia and Pooja, even as her voice lifted in indignation.

"Betrayed you, Queen Kalinza? No, I have saved you, and Naboo. You pin your hopes on the Rebel Alliance when the Alliance is far too busy jockeying for power while the Empire reels to bother providing protection to Naboo. You know what happens to those planets that fall under Hutt rule. We are in terrible danger and Prince Xizor is our only hope. I have had a strong working relationship with the Prince for several years now, and I trust him to keep Naboo safe."

This last sentence was stated with a rather adoring look at the Falleen Prince.

Those pheromones, Leia thought. Obviously they were as powerful as reported.

"Then why the blasters pointed at us?" she inquired drily.

The Prince walked deliberately over to Leia, making sure that his body didn't get between Talz's blaster and the princess.

"My dear Princess Leia, if I may call you that? It is a pleasure to meet you in person at last. You are, of course, a vital component to my plan to … protect…Naboo from aggressors. You are very well connected, are you not? I'm sure that the Emperor and his newly announced heir will be quite concerned for your well being as my hostage."

Leia maintained her defiant look, but internally she felt a lurch of terror. Did Xizor _know_ of her relationship with Luke and Vader?

"You are strangely misinformed if you imagine Darth Vader has any personal interest in my health at all," she responded coldly, "Or have you forgotten that I am a Rebel?"

Xizor chuckled, "No, Princess, the newly crowned Emperor Vader will consider you entirely insignificant. But his son? The young Luke Skywalker? I am aware you are close to him, are you not?"

Leia suppressed a sigh of relief. Xizor did _not_ know.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she responded automatically.

Xizor smiled again, not pleasantly at all, "I think you do, Princess. I have my spies in the Rebel fleet and I know that you and Skywalker are very close. The infatuation is not surprising on his part, though I would have hoped for more from a member of the Royal House of Alderaan. Really, Princess Leia? An uncouth farmboy? At any rate, your relationship with Skywalker is a boon to me, so I mustn't complain."

Before Leia could speak again, Xizor turned and spoke to the human replica droid Guri, "Contact Darth Vader."

/-/-/

 _Emperor Vader's Palace_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

Luke was dancing with Mara Jade.

In all of his conjectures about how he would spend his time as the heir to the new Emperor of the galaxy, he had not imagined he would dance.

But dancing, like mingling, was important. Apparently. And Jade had spent years dancing, so she was the obvious person to teach him. Being a dancer was, she said with a mixture of pride and sadness, one of her primary roles when working undercover.

"You aren't as incredibly terrible as I thought you'd be," Jade said suddenly, as Luke successfully navigated a tricky series of steps.

"Thanks," he responded with a smile, then added more solemnly, "Leia and I used to dance when she visited me on Tatooine. She loves it though she isn't as good as you are."

"You miss her, don't you?"

"Yes, very much," Luke responded.

He hesitated, then added, "And I'm a bit worried about her. She should be at Naboo by now. It didn't sound like a particularly dangerous mission but something feels off today."

He sighed, even as he spun Jade into a pirouette. She exuded joy. She really loved dancing, which made this whole experience more enjoyable.

And then he suddenly staggered forward and stepped on her foot.

"Skywalker!" she said indignantly, then froze, "What's wrong?"

Luke stood entirely still. His father was a tight ball of barely controlled rage, and his mother was…terrified.

"Come on!" he said hastily.

 _Emperor Vader's Primary Office_

Luke burst through the door to see his mother leaning weakly against a wall at one side of the room. A large screen showed Prince Xizor, the Falleen, and his sister Leia at Xizor's side. The Falleen had a blaster pointed at his sister's head. Next to her was another frightened woman, and standing behind them both was a tall, blond woman whom Luke recognized as Guri, the human replica droid. The scene was of some kind of dining room, it seemed, and an older woman stood next to the table with a blaster in her hand, though it was pointed at the floor.

Luke inhaled in shock and dismay. Leia!

His father had his mask on and thus appeared unperturbed, but Luke could sense desperation and spiraling rage.

Luke was terrified but knew that his father needed to stay calm, they all did.

"I am aware," Xizor said with a vicious smile, "Of your son's relationship with Princess Leia. You and your fleet will stay away from Naboo, Darth Vader. Any hint of attack against Naboo or Black Sun will result in the death of Princess Leia, and I assure you it will not be a pleasant demise. And to be sure that you understand the reality of the situation…"

He gestured at Guri, who stepped forward, reached out with both hands, and calmly grabbed Leia's right arm and broke it with a crack that reached across the galaxy

Luke actually felt his sister's pain through the Force, even as she collapsed to her knees with a cry of agony.

Vader stepped forward, and Luke felt the Dark Side swirl around him, gathering itself…

 _Father, don't! You can't reach Naboo and Leia with the Force. Please please stay calm._

It took everything he had. He too felt the pull of the Dark Side, the desire to lash out and destroy. His sweet sister Leia – her pain reverberated through the Force as his soul twisted in sympathy and rage.

"I will be consulting with my Vigos and will contact you with my demands in a week's time," Xizor continued coldly, "And keep in mind that Pooja Naberrie," he gestured at the unknown woman next to Leia,"…is my hostage as well. I am sure your son's mother is concerned about her last living relative from House Naberrie.

Luke stilled at this strange statement, just as a new image broke into transmission. It was a sky view of a beautiful house on a lake, a home with rounded turrets, surrounded on one side by green trees and the other side with placid waters.

Three white starships appeared in the skies above the house, hovered, fired…

And the house exploded in flames, its walls falling, its towers crashing into earth and water.

There was a scream of anguish, no doubt from Pooja Naberrie, "No, no, my family, Varykino!"

Luke heard the clear sounds of stun shots, followed by quiet thuds, and then the video transmission ended.

He was so shocked and horrified that for a moment, he was unaware of his surroundings. Jade, who had accompanied him, shook him hard, "Luke, your father! Look!"

The floors, the windows, were trembling. Lacy cracks were forming at the corners of the doorways. The Dark Lord himself was standing completely rigid, and the maelstrom of fury and self-hatred and grief crashed against and through Luke's fragile barriers. For just a moment, he caught a vision of a woman, broken and beaten, with eyes like Leia's, reflected in the soft light of a campfire. And a soft voice sounded in his head, "Ani, my son, my grown up son, I love you…"

Obi-wan Kenobi rushed in.

"Anakin!" he said, obviously trying to get through to the shattered former Sith Lord, "Anakin!"

"Father," Luke tried, "Please, Father, stop!"

But it was Padme who managed to engage her husband. She pulled herself away from the wall and staggered into her husband's arms with soft words of desperation, "Ani, please, I need you. I need you."

The shaking of the room stopped abruptly. The hulking Dark Lord carefully placed his arms around his broken wife and lifted her, carrying her into another room.

Luke lowered his head and cried. He barely noticed Mara Jade putting a gentle and comforting arm around him.

/-/-/

 _Millennium Falcon_

 _Less than one parsec out of Naboo_

 _In space_

 _30 minutes later_

Han Solo muttered to himself in frustration, "Come on, Luke, come on!"

The holoscreen flickered irritably. He had been careful to throw in a few security measures to prevent this transmission from being located by hostiles, and the Falcon's communications array was clearly struggling.

The image suddenly cleared and Skywalker's face appeared.

"Luke!" Han said in relief and concern, "Do you know where Leia is?"

The young man's face was drawn and weary, with dark purple shadows under his eyes, "Xizor of Black Sun has her, Han. Where are you?"

Solo lowered his head in distress, then lifted it again, "I'm out in space less than a parsec from Naboo. Luke, she begged me to leave her and go to Varykino. I'm sorry, Luke, I should have tried to rescue her, no matter what she said, no matter how hopeless the odds."

The young man's face tightened, "Varykino? Why did you go there?"

"Leia commed me from the Royal House and she had some crazy Force instinct that the people at Varykino were in danger. She insisted I go grab them and take them to the _Falcon_ before some … I don't know what it was. She said she had a vision about the place being destroyed by explosions and…"

"Han, did you go to Varykino?" Luke interrupted.

"Um, yeah, kid, Chewie and I landed on the front lawn and basically abducted the whole lot of them and they are here on the _Falcon_. Leia said hurry, so I hurried. There wasn't time to explain anything. I guess your grandparents, and a lady named Sola, and another woman named Ryoo who gave me this black eye. She's a feisty one… and a few servants. They are a bit happier now since I showed them your mom's message. Luke, what's wrong?"

The young man was trembling with emotion, but he managed to gasp out, "Xizor sent ships to bomb Varykino. We thought Mother's family had perished. Han, I need to tell my mother about this. Can you send me a quick holo of everyone so she knows they are safe? And then re-comm me in…2 hours. We need to make plans to get Leia back."

"You bet, Luke, you bet. And we will get her back, I promise you that," Solo said fiercely.

Skywalker nodded, "Yes, we will."

/-/-/

 _Naboo_

Prince Xizor of Black Sun gazed at his faithful Guri.

"You understand your orders?"

"Yes, my prince."

"Communicate with me regularly, is that clear?"

Guri nodded.

/-/-/

 _Emperor Vader's office_

 _Imperial City_

 _Imperial Center_

Padme Naberrie Skywalker finished reading her datapad, stood up and began striding up and down Emperor Vader's large office.

In spite of deep rooted concern for Leia, Luke had to smile a little. The news that her family had survived had pulled his mother out of her stunned distress in less than a minute. She was now a woman on a mission. She had been reading copious quantities of reports and data in the last hour, had watched the transmission from Xizor 4 times (including the disturbing image of Leia's arm being broken) and now had her 'political' face on.

She now turned to face the 4 men and one woman watching her: her husband Anakin Skywalker, who had removed his helmet and was wearing a breathing mask, Luke, Mara Jade, Obi-wan Kenobi, and the Rebel General Rieekan, who had arrived fortuitously and secretly an hour earlier in the midst of the current crisis.

"Anakin, Xizor is trying to divide us," she announced firmly.

"Explain, Padme," Vader responded after a moment.

She gestured with her hands, "The destruction of Varykino was meant to devastate me. Did you notice how he referred to me as your son's mother? Not your wife, not your lover. Your son's mother. It's very deliberate, I'm sure. I've read his biography. He's not married and has had many casual lovers, so he is not a being who is familiar with true devotion between a married couple. He is thinking in terms of dynastic complications. He attacked Varykino so he obviously knows exactly who I am, that I was once Queen, and Senator. He will assume there is the potential for a struggle for power between us since, in his mind, we are both too old… "she smiled a little, "to be in love, my dear Anakin, especially after our relational difficulties of 19 years ago. He is of course entirely mistaken, and we will make him pay for it."

She turned to Luke, "And you, my son, are the clear focus of the attack on Leia. I watched his eyes carefully. When he mentioned you, there was disdain in his features. When he looked at Leia, there was no contempt on his face. He is a proud individual, my son, who truly believes that family heritage and riches and upbringing are vitally important. He despises you for being from Tatooine, for being, as you have put it so often, a farmboy. I am convinced he does not know Leia's true heritage, but believes that you are…a romantic item."

Luke responded instinctively, "Yuck, Mother."

She chuckled softly, but turned to General Rieekan, "If Xizor has spies in the Alliance, which seems entirely possible, might that spy assume my children are involves in a non-platonic way?"

Rieekan looked embarrassed, "Well, I'll be honest. There are gamblers on the _Home One_ running daily odds as to whether Skywalker or Solo will, ah, be fortunate enough to snare the princess, romantically, I mean."

Vader stiffened, "Are you saying that Alliance scum are betting that _my daughter_ will choose a pirate?"

Luke groaned softly, "Father, it is far worse that they think she might choose me! And truthfully, she _has_ chosen Han,who just saved Mother's family. So don't give the man a hard time."

Vader sighed around his mask, "You are, of course, correct, Luke."

Padme shook herself slightly and turned to face her husband, "As for you, Anakin, I'm wondering if Xizor has something personally against you. Of course he is no doubt enraged that you have taken the throne. But this attack against you, this affront against your family, against Naboo, this desire to divide our family, seem like the actions of revenge. You are rightly known as a one man army, Ani, and this strike against you is incredibly risky. Have you ever done anything to personally harm Xizor?"

There was a pause, and Vader shook his head, "I have harmed so many, Padme. Perhaps? We were rivals for the Emperor's favor and certainly disliked and distrusted one another, but I am not aware of any personal issues. I agree, however, that his actions are more bombastic and direct than would ordinarily be expected from Xizor, who is well known for his cautious and careful plans."

Mara spoke up, "Your Highness, I have both training and access to at least some of Palpatine's records. I could look into this matter if you like."

Vader nodded, "Please do, Jade."

Padme continued, "And this 7 day wait for him to give us his demands? It is exactly 6 days in hyperspace to get to Naboo, Anakin. He is clearly giving us time to mount an attack on Naboo, which makes me think he wants you to attack. Which means it is a trap of some kind."

"It is 6 days by the standard route, Padme. There are ways, using the Force, to take riskier paths through hyperspace and shorten the travel time. But as you say, we must have a plan for when we get there."

Rieekan spoke up now, and his voice shook slightly, "You know I love Leia dearly. I promise you that the Alliance will do anything you need to bring her home safely. But what can we do? Even with your very extensive power, Emperor Vader, the princess is at great risk if we attempt to rescue her from Xizor's clutches. He will no doubt guard her well."

Luke, who had been silent, spoke up now, "Well, I have an idea about that."


	42. Han and Chewbacca Storm Varykino

_Author Note: Thunderstrike16 requested the scene where Han and Chewie rescue/abduct the Naberries, and I decided it was too funny a thought to pass by. The ending is a little more angsty, though. Hope you enjoy._

"I don't know, Chewie! Who really understands these weird Force visions! All I know is that the woman I love told me to hurry to this estate and grab whoever is in it because the whole place is going to blow up. That's what she said. And we're doing it, Chewie, because she asked me too. And if something bad happens to her I will never forgive myself. Never. I don't know, maybe we should turn around…"

Chewbacca roared at some length.

"Yeah, I know, you saw the Jedi in action, you know the Force is real, I know that, but if some slimeball hurts Leia I'm gonna…"

More roaring.

"Ok, Ok, I'll do it! Yes, she's smart and resourceful. And if she's in trouble we'll just come back and get her."

Han Solo quieted himself enough to focus on landing the _Millennium Falcon_ on the front lawn of Varykino.

He was an excellent pilot but in a great hurry, and he flinched slightly as the ship settled onto a bed of stalistis. Oh man, the gardener wasn't going to be happy…

"Come on, Chewie! We'll leave her ready to lift off!"

He bolted down the ramp as soon as it touched the ground, and took off in a flat out run toward the large main door of the house. It was a truly elegant place, that was for sure, with fancy turrets and towers, plus lots of greenery.

He didn't want Leia to be right, but in a way he did. If it turned out nothing bad happened, he would feel like an idiot. Well, wouldn't be the first time he'd made a fool of himself, and probably not the last either.

Han pounded up the steps and frantically hammered on the door. He heard Chewbacca racing up behind him just as the door swung open to reveal a shiny light blue protocol droid, who stared at him in incredulous disbelief. It looked unnervingly like C3P0, which was ominous. Han hoped it wasn't as annoying as that brass plated irritation.

"Listen," Han said hastily, "I need to talk to the Naberries right now. It is an emergency!"

The protocol droid shook its head carefully, "I am sorry, sir. The Naberries have open hours between 2 and 4 p.m. each afternoon during the Long Season. You will need to come back in 2 hours."

"I can't come back in 2 hours," Han sputtered back, "This is an emergency!"

"I'm afraid you will have to wait, sir," the droid said placidly, "The Family is eating dinner now and I have orders that they are not to be disturbed. And the estate manager is not here today. Indeed, only the Family and 2 servants are here, so it is unlikely that you will be able to transact any business."

Han groaned. If anything, this droid was even more annoying than C3PO.

He wracked his brain, "Listen, we have a reactor leak. Large leak. Very dangerous!"

The droid tilted its head slightly to one said, "Sir, I am equipped with sensors for radiation analysis. Radiation levels are not at a critical level…"

Han yanked out his blaster, set it for stun, and blasted the droid.

It fell over.

"Boring conversation anyway," Han snorted at Chewbacca, darting around the droid and bolting down the main corridor. A door slid open and a young woman stepped out, looking down the hall at him with a puzzled frown. At the sight of an unknown man and a large and hairy Wookie, her eyes grew wide and she yelled "Mother!" even as she launched herself at Han. He found himself grappling with her and she managed to slam him in the eye before he succeeded in shoving her towards Chewie, who wrapped her in a firm but careful embrace.

Han stepped boldly into the room, which was clearly a dining room. There were 3 people standing around the table, all staring at the door first in bewilderment, and then fear.

Two were elderly, probably Padme's parents Ruwee and Jubal? The next woman was middle aged, with features similar to Padme, so almost certainly her sister Sola. And given how much the young girl in Chewie's arms looked like Sola, she was probably her daughter Ryoo.

There were two more individuals in the room, both servants based on their posture and livery. The older man stood near a far door, but a young woman, probably in her teens, stood frozen only a meter from him. She was holding a platter with some kind of meat dish on it, and had the blank look of a gnort confronted abruptly with a veermok.

"Who are you and how dare you barge in here?" Jubal Naberrie demanded with a mixture of fear and aristocratic indignation.

Han hesitated for 3 seconds before deciding that brute force was necessary.

 _(Han, you must hurry. There is almost no time!_ Leia's frantic pleas rang in his memory.)

He reached a long arm out and snatched the young servant girl by the shoulder and pulled her close to him, simultaneously lifting the blaster to her head.

"Now listen, I don't want to hurt anyone but you need to come with me right now. If you do, I promise you no one will get hurt. If you don't, this pretty little lady will get a blaster bolt to the head."

(A stun shot, as it happened, but they didn't know that.)

The Naberries flinched, but it was clear that his threat tapped into their deep seated sense of responsibility for their servants.

The elder Naberries gazed at one another and then at Sola, who nodded at her parents.

"My dear, shall we go?" Ruwee Naberrie asked his wife.

Four minutes later, they were all on board the _Falcon_ , including a stuttering and indignant blue protocol droid.

/-/-/

 _15 minutes later_

Getting out of Naboo space had proven somewhat challenging. There were at least 3 capitol ships and a host of smaller ships in space above Naboo now, none of which had been evident when he and Leia had landed on Naboo a short time ago.

They weren't Imperial, so who were these guys? Hutts? Black Sun?

Solo had to do some tricky flying and shoot a few warning shots before going into hyperspace. Exactly one minute later, he dropped out again. No way was he getting very far from Leia!

He set the ship into a holding pattern and stood up, bracing himself for the shouting, or perhaps the aristocratic hissing, that he would no doubt need to endure.

He marched back to the lounge and found, to his surprise, the Naberrie family sitting on a bench staring in disbelief and shock at a datapad in Ruwee Naberrie's hands. The young servant girl was standing fearfully against the wall, with the older man hugging her. Han now saw a vague familiarity in their features. Relatives, perhaps?

His thoughts were interrupted by Ruwee Naberrie, who stood up slowly and turned the datapad toward him.

With a shock, Han recognized Padme Naberrie Skywalker's face on the screen. It was the message she had recorded for her family!

"Captain," the man said, with a very pale face, "Is this some kind of sick, twisted, practical joke?"

Han stepped forward while shaking his head carefully, "No, sir, it isn't. Your daughter Padme is alive."

Sola spoke up, "That is impossible, Captain…"

"Solo," Han said.

"Captain Solo, her body was carried through Theed during her funeral. My parents saw it. I saw it, though I was very young. They have grieved my sister for 19 years. It is cruel to pretend that she could still be alive."

Solo sighed. He really wished Leia was here for this conversation. She was a diplomat and he was a pirate and smuggler. Dealing with bereaved, angry, upset members of the gentry wasn't in his normal job description.

"Look, first I want to apologize for what happened down there. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan received a … last minute warning that Varykino and its inhabitants were in danger. She asked me to come get you out and to hurry, and I'm not gifted at diplomacy so Chewie and I went for the blunt approach. We wouldn't have really harmed you, though I was prepared to stun the lot of you and carry you one by one to my ship if necessary. I'm glad it didn't come to that. As for your…as for Padme, I've met her. I know she's alive. I don't know the details of the funeral and why you think she is dead, but I promise you she is alive."

The two elderly Naberries, the bereaved parents, looked at one another and reached out to clasp aged hands together. Sola still looked angry and suspicious but to his surprise Ryoo, whom he had manhandled after being punched, had a look of hope in her eyes.

Not that she likely remembered Padme very well.

Solo sighed, "Let me get on the comm and talk to Luke. He'll tell me what the situation is."

"Luke?" Sola demanded.

Solo hesitated again, then said softly, "Luke, Padme's son."

He turned away and left the room, not waiting to see the additional shock on their faces.


	43. Chapter 43

_A small room without a view_

 _Somewhere_

 _Sometime_

Leia Organa slowly opened up her eyes.

She was disoriented. Where was she? What time was it?

She waited, confident that clarity would come. Sometimes when she was very busy (overworked, her father Bail claimed) she would be so exhausted that the first minute after waking up was incredibly confusing.

She waited, but only grew more awake, and more confused.

Where _was_ she?

There was a soft gasp and the familiar face of Pooja Naberrie appeared above her.

"Leia!"

In a rush, it all came back. The nightmare about Varykino. Her capture by Xizor of Black Sun. The destruction of Varykino. The incredible strength of the human replica droid Guri as she (it?) casually broke her right arm.

Her arm…

Leia sat up and gazed thoughtfully at her arm. It was neatly wrapped in a black silkskin wrap and was slightly numb. She felt no pain.

"Leia," Pooja said again. Her friend's eyes were dark with pain, her face splotched with tears, "Are you all right?"

Leia carefully put her left arm up and drew Pooja next to her on the bed.

"Yes, Pooja, I'm fine," she said reassuringly. The woman was obviously a tumultuous ball of anxiety and grief given that she had watched her home destroyed. Leia had high hopes that Han had gotten Pooja's family (her family!) out of Varykino, but she couldn't exactly share all that with her friend. There were almost certainly listening devices in this room.

She looked around her. They were in a cell of some kind, with white walls, a gray floor, low level lighting, 2 simple beds and 2 doors, one of which likely led to a refresher.

"Do you know where we are?" Leia asked.

Pooja shook her head, "I woke up here less than an hour ago. Leia, I'm so sorry! I had no idea that Counselor Talz was a traitor. I hope you believe that."

"Oh Pooja," Leia sighed, as she stood up and began walking back and forth to loosen up the lingering tightness from the stun blast, "Of course I know that. And it is I who must apologize to you. I'm afraid I have brought great hardship on Naboo and…House Naberrie. Xizor was clearly targeting me."

"I don't understand any of this, Leia," her friend said, "I don't understand Xizor, or Darth Vader, or why…why Varykino was destroyed. I don't understand."

Leia turned and stared straight at Pooja, "There are no doubt listening devices in here, Pooja."

She motioned her over so that she could whisper in her ear, "So I can't say much. Please… try not to worry. Xizor obviously wants us alive for now, and he even repaired my arm. I can tell it's been mended."

She continued whispering very softly in Pooja's ear, "And please don't worry about your family. There is a good chance they made it out. But I can't go into details."

She felt a slight shudder, followed by a slight relaxation in her friend's body.

"We're in hyperspace, by the way," Leia added. "I can tell from the sound of the engines."

/-/-/

 _Maximum Security Prison_

 _Wing C_

 _Theed_

 _Naboo_

Queen Kalinza shifted for the 10th time in as many minutes.

This was so incredibly boring.

If she ever got out of this, and if her political career wasn't completely shot, she would make prison reform a priority.

Thus far she had not been ill treated since she had woken up from the stun blast. It felt like it had been _days_ , but it had been merely hours.

One meal had arrived. It was not exciting, but it was food. The water was clean.

There was a refresher, small, but tidy.

But oh, the boredom, the boredom!

She had been an intellectual and political powerhouse since she was only 11 years old, constantly busy, and this tedium was dreadful.

She managed a slight chuckle and reminded herself that Nabooian Queens do not whine – a motto she had learned at an early age. She had been in here only a very short amount of time, she knew that.

Many were incarcerated for years, some for their entire for lives and for all she knew…and here she shuddered slightly…she might be one of them. Kalinza did not know what this mysterious Prince Xizor wanted with her. She had not been injured like Princess Leia Organa (she winced slightly, remembering the horrible sound of that cracking arm) and no one had come to question her.

Not that she knew what was going on exactly, nor were the secrets of Naboo likely important compared to a power struggle for the highest position of the Empire.

And anyway, Counselor Talz had the very highest security access codes. She knew everything that Kalinza did.

For just a moment, Queen Kalinza allowed herself to feel outrage and grief at the betrayal. Counselor Talz, who had been queen of Naboo 15 years ago, had been a much admired mentor to Kalinza for years. Kalinza had looked up to Talz nearly as much as she looked up to Padme Amidala, a now dead queen of Naboo from 25 years ago.

It had been shattering when Xizor and his thugs had burst into the Royal Dining Room and taken Kalinza prisoner with Talz's assistance.

The Queen shook her head. There was nothing to be done about it right now. She couldn't escape and she was stuck here with only her thoughts.

Rather than worry and fuss, she could plan.

So…prison reform. Holopads, perhaps? It would be helpful if prisoners had access to learning materials. And sitting around in a cell was a ridiculous waste of intelligence and ability. There must be something that prisoners could do to bring self-respect and meaning into their lives. There were, she knew, a regrettable number of criminals incarcerated for embezzling and the like. So that would indicate a gift with numbers? Perhaps they could assist via transmitter in teaching youngsters math?

Her musings were cut short when the door slid open suddenly. She straightened and tensed expectantly.

A few seconds later, one of her younger handmaidens, a girl named Layla, stepped cautiously into the cell.

"Your Highness," the girl seemed near tears, "Are you all right?"

The Queen rose to her feet and took a cautious step forward. Were they arresting the handmaidens now as well?

"Yes, I am unharmed," she responded, assuming a regal pose and tone.

No guards appeared.

"I'm so thankful," Layla replied, "Come, we need to get you out of here."

Startled, Kalinza hesitated for just a moment, then hurried out of the room with Kayla in the lead. To the Queen's surprise, there was no one in the corridors. They turned right, then left, then stepped into an elevator.

"Where are all the guards?" Kalinza demanded suspiciously.

Layla tapped in an apparent override code and hit the sensor for the roof.

"The handmaiden Zita has a friend who is a slicer, your Highness. He's well connected and was able to create a false alarm in another part of the prison, which drew off the guards. We have a ship standing by and we'll whisk you away to a safe house near the Eastern Swamps. You'll be safe there."

The Queen shook her head vehemently, "Layla, I can't just hide! And what about Princess Leia Organa and Senator Naberrie? We must rescue them as well!"

To her astonishment, the young girl turned and dropped to her knees, "Your Highness, _please_ , I beg you. Please leave. There is no way to rescue Organa and Naberrie. They are under heavy, relentless guard. We've studied the layout and the guard shifts and it is impossible. You need to be safe, your Highness. Your entire planet needs you. Please don't throw your life away in a vain attempt to save the others."

Queen Kalinza reached over and lifted Layla up with a sigh, "Very well, my handmaiden, I will do as you wish."

/-/

 _Planetside_

 _Somewhere_

 _A few hours later_

Leia and Pooja were pacing back and forth in their cell when the door opened suddenly. Two guards stepped in with blasters aimed at them.

They both stopped and turned to the door, waiting.

Prince Xizor walked in with what was no doubt meant to be a charming smile on his face.

Up close, Leia could feel the pheromone effect more strongly. In spite of all she knew of Xizor, in spite of his cruelty and machinations against her family, in spite of the destruction of Varykino, a small part of her brain felt this urge to trust him.

Good thing she knew that part of her brain was on a chemical trip.

"Princess Leia, Senator Naberrie, I do trust you've had a comfortable trip here?" the Prince asked, raising his currently green brows.

"Where exactly is 'here'?" Leia demanded.

"Oh, I think we'll keep that a surprise for now, my dear Princess," Xizor replied.

He gestured to a guard outside the cell, who walked in and placed binders on both women's wrists. They were then ordered out of the cell and into a corridor.

Leia could tell the ship they were on was relatively small and indeed, their cell was probably originally a cabin for guests.

Not for the first time in the last few hours, she wished she had some Force training. As it was, she was effectively helpless. In the past, she had set aside training in favor of political work, but if she got out of this mess alive she would learn at least some of the ways of the Force.

They were guided out of the ship and into a small landing bay, one underground. The floor was concrete, but the walls and ceiling looked like a natural cave, with the entrance partially hidden by the bulk of the ship. Leia slowed and looked around, only to be pushed, none too gently, by a guard. She shot the man a vicious look but picked up the pace.

She was nearly certain they were on Tatooine, based on the ochre color of the cave and the familiar scent blown in from outside. But why? Did Xizor know of her connection to this place through her brother? Or was it merely that Tatooine was relatively close to Naboo?

She and Pooja were marched down a corridor. They could hear wild music, and wilder yells, echoing louder and louder.

Xizor stepped past them and strode confidently into a large chamber, with Leia and Pooja and their accompanying guards in his wake.

In spite of herself, Leia felt her mouth drop open, and she felt Pooja step a little closer to her, no doubt seeking reassurance.

Leia didn't consider herself an especially sheltered person. She had traveled extensively, and read even more widely. But this was an incredible scene. And not in a good way.

Dominating the chamber was a giant slug. She groaned internally. It was Jabba the Hutt, of course. It was just that the image in a recent report on the crime lord had failed to convey the sheer bulbous obesity of the creature.

Not that she should hold the Hutt's appearance against him. The Hutts didn't ask to look like enormous blobs. They likely thought humans were equally repulsive. But Jabba was a genuinely disgusting, if intelligent, sentient. Leia knew from Luke that his minions frequently levied onerous 'protection' levies on the local farmers, and also stole water, an incredibly precious commodity on Tatooine. He was also notorious for being a major kingpin in the slave trade on Tatooine.

Her own father, she knew, had once been enslaved by a Hutt.

At least she knew where they were, Tatooine.

Leia pulled herself together. Xizor had marched up to Jabba and was engaging him in conversation, though she couldn't hear the words because the band was playing incredibly loud, raucous, annoying music. She gazed around with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. This place was filled with aliens from numerous worlds, many of them apparently in the throes of either alcoholic lows or spice highs. The chamber was a mess, and the throne area, where Jabba sat, even messier. Even as she watched, she observed the slime Lord reach into a nearby basin, grab a large frog, and pop it into his mouth. A few moments later, he spit out part of a flipper, which landed on the dais.

Ick.

She felt more than heard a gasp from Pooja, and she looked at her friend, who was staring in horror towards Jabba. Leia frowned and followed her gaze.

She too gasped softly.

A beautiful human girl, certainly no more than 15 years of age, was chained by the neck, with the other end of the chain in Jabba's right hand. She was partially concealed behind Jabba's fleshy tail and Leia found herself shifting slightly to get a better look at the girl, who was wearing ridiculous metallic garments which showed all too much flesh. It looked uncomfortable, and was certainly humiliating.

Leia gritted her teeth at this flagrant enslavement, even as a part of her brain realized that Jabba apparently did like the looks of humans, or at least pretty female ones.

She was pushed forward and looked up in surprise to see that Xizor was gesturing to her guards. She was separated from Pooja and found herself standing before the Hutt, who looked her over with a clearly lecherous stare and babbled something in Huttese.

She knew a few choice Huttese words from Luke, but none of these made any sense to her.

"Not right now, mighty Jabba," Xizor said, in Basic, "But if the girl proves recalcitrant we will revisit this at a later time. In the meantime, I thank you for your gracious hospitality. I assure you that you will be well rewarded for your kindness."

Leia stiffened slightly at these words, but said nothing. No way was she going to cozy up to that lizard Xizor, even if she did end up as Jabba's…slave.

It was a horrifying thought, but the Hutt Lord's gestures and manner had been quite unmistakable.

With a proud lift of her head, she stared the giant creature in the eye before being pulled away and dragged, with Pooja, to a cell.

/-/-/-

 _3 days later_

 _Millennium Falcon_

 _Less than a parsec from Naboo_

Han Solo stiffened slightly as the proximity sensors went off, indicating a ship had dropped out of hyperspace nearby. He immediately intensified his shields, just in case they were unfriendly…

But no, his comm lit up with a familiar code, and he hit the transmission button with a sigh of relief.

"Hey Luke, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, on the _Varykino_. We'll dock with you immediately, if that's all right. Mother will come over very soon with Obi-wan or me, depending on if I can contact our … mutual friend right now. We'll also send over supplies. I know you are low."

"Sounds great, kid. We've all been subsisting mostly on ration bars and energy pudding, and I'm even low on Corellian ale."

"You have indeed been suffering, Han."

"I know, right? I look forward to seeing you soon and we can talk about you know who.

He felt even here, in the dead of space, it was wiser to avoid mentioning Leia's name on an open comm unless all the security protocols were in place. And they weren't, at the moment.

Solo's fingers danced on the controls and within ten minutes, the _Varykino_ was docked with the _Millennium Falcon_. He noted, absently, that two small ships were locked in place on the _Varykino_ , which would allow members of the crew to leave on missions as needed.

He walked back into the main lounge of the Falcon and found the Naberrie family standing tensely.

"Padme will be here in just a few minutes," Solo said, "They just have to get the pressure equalized between the two ships."

Padme's parents, Ruwee and Jobal, held hands and gazed at one another. Sola stood with her arm around her daughter.

Han couldn't imagine what this was like for them, wondering if the woman who would shortly walk through a door was truly their long lost daughter or some kind of confused or manipulative imposter.

There was the sound of a hatch opening, and Han quickly strode over in time to see Padme and Luke step into the _Falcon_. They weren't yet in sight of the Naberries, so Han stole the moment to ask Luke, "Do you know anything about Leia?"

Luke had a faraway look in his eye as he answered, "She's Ok, Han. A few minutes ago I managed to make Force contact with her, though it was emotions and feelings instead of words. If I could summarize, it was 'I love you. I'm Ok, I'm really busy right now, and I'll get back to you.'"

Han relaxed a little, but found himself seeking comfort by asking, "So you are sure, Luke? You are positive she's…still alive."

Skywalker looked startled and then smiled reassuringly, "Yes, Han, she is definitely alive, and she's not physically debilitated. From her sense, I would guess she's sparring with someone right now, verbally I mean."

The youth looked up, "I'd better join Mother now."

Padme Amidala Skywalker stepped into the lounge and stopped.

The last nearly 20 years had been a fog of coma and near coma and brain injury. It was only in the last two months that the confusion had lifted almost completely, though she was aware that she still had 'spells' when she was tired.

Her doctors credited the CGA1629, and she was confident that it had helped. But as important, or more so, was the healing power of her husband and children. When she was with them, she felt her head clear, actually sensed an alleviation of her brain injuries. She knew the combination of their love for her and their incredible Force power had brought about a miracle.

Her parents, sister, and niece stood in the familiar lounge of the _Millennium Falcon_. For Padme, it felt like only a few months had passed since she'd last seen them. But she knew, intellectually, that it had been 19 years. 19 years during which they had been sure she was dead.

She was a former queen and senator, with oratory gifts beyond the reach of most sentients. But in this moment, she found herself without words as she gazed at her parents, both grown old with age and grief. As she looked at her sister Sola, who was now middle aged, with grown up daughters of her own.

Padme Amidala Skywalker opened her mouth. What came out was…

"Mama? Father?"

There was a heart stopping, heartrending moment. Her parents, her sister, her niece, continued to stand motionless, with a mixture of hope, grief, and suspicion in their eyes.

Padme took a deep breath and forced herself to let go of expectations. It was unreasonable to assume instant acceptance…

And then Jobal was stepping forward, arms opening wide, with tears spilling out of aged eyes, "Padme? Is that really you? My darling, precious Padme!"

 _Author Note: Many many thanks to those of you reading and reviewing. And I continue to be most grateful to my husband who is checking for logic and editing errors. Thank you, my love!_


	44. Chapter 44

_45 minutes BEFORE the_ Varykino _rendezvoused with the_ Millennium Falcon

 _Jabba the Hutt's Palace_

 _Leia Organa's and Pooja Naberrie's cell_

It was time for the 3rd meal of the day, and Leia was not surprised when the door to their makeshift cell opened.

She didn't even look up. She and Pooja had made a quiet pact to be unaggressive but annoying prisoners, and they made a point of largely ignoring the guards and servants who brought clothing and food and water for them on a daily basis.

Given the slovenly nature of Jabba's primary chamber, Leia knew they were actually quite fortunate in their domicile. The room was small, the mattresses thin, the blankets simple, and the refresher fairly primitive, but at least the cell wasn't grimy or full of puddles of mysterious provenance. Guards had brought changes in clothing and they had each been escorted to a sonic shower twice, so they weren't too dirty.

When they had been marched into this section of Jabba's palace, the guards had made a point of guiding them through a prison area which was far more unpleasant. A host of imprisoned sentients had stood at the doors of dark, stinking cells, some extending pathetic appendages in their direction through the barred windows.

Pooja had, Leia sensed, been nearly overcome. The princess liked and admired her friend (and cousin) but Pooja did not quite have the internal fortitude that she had.

Knowing the characters of Leia's biological father and mother, her own feistiness and steely determination weren't too surprising. In retrospect, it _was_ somewhat astonishing that the marriage of Anakin and Padme Skywalker before Vader's fall had apparently been peaceful and loving, because neither individual was remotely compliant.

Lost in her thoughts, Leia looked up in irritation as one of the guards touched her on the arm.

"What do you want?" she demanded irritably, then noted that the amount of food allocated to them at this meal was half the normal amount.

"Let me guess, now the noble Prince plans to starve us?" she continued snidely.

"Not at all, my dear Princess Leia," the Falleen prince said, stepping into the cell, "Actually, you and I are going to have dinner in my dining chamber. I trust that Senator Naberrie can spare you for two hours."

Leia stood up and boldly approached the Falleen. She had realized early on that Xizor rather liked her spirit, and she no intention of making things easy for him.

"And if I refuse?" she demanded coldly.

"My dear, I'm sure you would prefer that your friend stay healthy?" he responded, with a significant glance at Pooja.

Leia's eyes narrowed, and she stepped a little closer, "I would, indeed, so I suggest for your sake that Pooja be unharmed when I return from this little sojourn."

Xizor chuckled, "Certainly, your Highness, certainly."

Leia took her time wrapping her hair into a bun, then strode defiantly out of the cell. The guards guided her down a corridor and into what was clearly a dining room. It was surprisingly pleasant; clean, expensively decorated, and technologically advanced with high level cooling. Had Xizor visited this palace before? These quarters were definitely not set up for Hutts, based on her short but unpleasant interactions with Jabba.

She felt a trickle of relief, which she was careful to keep from her expression. There was always the chance that Xizor would lift his dubious protection from her and that she would end up at the end of a chain held by that abomination Jabba the Hutt. But she didn't want to give the Falleen the pleasure of thinking she was grateful to him in any way.

"Please, won't you sit down, Princess Leia," the Falleen said, moving a chair out for her.

She sank into the chair, and he took the one opposite her.

Leia maintained her silence over the next 20 minutes as servants arrived bearing various foods. All were well cooked, all were expensive.

Moonglow, she noted wryly, was _not_ on the menu.

She ate well, and kept Xizor in her peripheral vision. He seemed to be enjoying the meal, and made no attempt to engage her in conversation until the dessert course, which was xirlia pastries drizzled in Vashkan honey. They were delicious.

The Prince gestured to one of his servants, who stepped forward with stemmed glasses filled with dark blue wine. He lifted up his glass and gestured to her.

"Shall we make a toast, Princess?" he asked with a supercilious smile.

"To what?" Leia demanded in an antagonistic tone, refusing to touch her own glass.

"To the destruction of the Vader dynasty," he replied.

Leia nearly choked on her own breath, but forced her face to remain neutral.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" she challenged the prince.

"My dear Leia," Xizor responded, "A woman of your intellect and superior ancestry surely understands. I mean to destroy Vader and his son Luke Skywalker. You are a valuable player in fulfilling that goal. I am well aware that Skywalker is infatuated with you. His father, in the other hand, is indifferent. I have word from my spies that the Imperial Fleet remains in orbit around the various Core Worlds, with no ships being devoted to combatting the Black Sun takeover of Naboo. Obviously Vader is uninterested to your fate."

Leia lifted an eyebrow, "Why do you imagine he would care? I'm a Rebel. As for Skywalker, he is not his father. Why are you targeting him? If anything, I would think you'd appreciate a more … balanced individual influencing Darth Vader."

"Because Skywalker isn't worthy to be the heir to the throne. Because he is a backwards farmboy from this dirtball of a planet. Because his father, Darth Vader, was once a slave, and the blood of slaves runs in that line. And lastly, because Skywalker is Darth Vader's son. And I want him _dead_."

The last sentence was said with peculiar passion, and Leia stared at Xizor with a twinge of fear. There was such malignance in that tone…

"This is something personal, isn't it?" she said suddenly, "This is more than a power struggle over the position of Emperor. You hate Vader for something he specifically did to you, right?"

Xizor's countenance remained stormy with anger, and he suddenly stood and paced back and forth across from the table.

"That is correct, Princess Leia. Darth Vader ordered the construction of a weapons factory on my homeworld of Falleen, in the middle of a major population center. He ordered the research and development of various bioweapons including a particularly dangerous flesh eating bacterial agent. That agent accidentally escaped containment 7 years ago."

Xizor turned to Leia, who was staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and dread, "Vader ordered the laboratory and surrounding city razed to the ground to prevent the spread of the disease, as well as to conceal the research in the facility. My parents, my sisters and brother, my 3 uncles, all perished in one 10 minute strafing of my city on Falleen. I lost my entire immediate family that day, Princess Leia."

Leia knew herself to be pale with horror and yes…reluctant sympathy. It was easy, she reflected, to forget about Vader's crimes against the galaxy. His devotion to his wife and children, his obvious personality changes over the past few months, had (somewhat reluctantly) convinced her that he really had altered, that he had swung back towards the Light Side of the Force.

But no one could erase the atrocities in her biological father's past. Many millions had died due to his actions. She had recently read up on Falleen culture, and Xizor in particular, when the Black Sun leader had risen to 2nd in command of the Empire. He was vicious and ruthless and manipulative. But…

"I am sorry," she said finally. She really was. Xizor was a villain, but no one deserved that kind of heartache.

The Falleen Prince's gaze turned intently on her, "Sorry?"

The superior smile returned, and he sank back into his chair and drank some more wine, "Don't be sorry, Princess. I'm not grief-stricken. It is not the Falleen way to mourn the dead. It is the Falleen way to avenge. Vader struck at the heart of my family line, and I will in turn destroy his son."

Leia shivered slightly, and said quickly, "But Skywalker isn't responsible…"

He interrupted, "Cease your fruitless arguments in the boy's favor, Princess. They are not worthy of you. You are intelligent, gifted, beautiful, superior, and well connected with high level members of the Rebel Alliance. Surely you don't wish Vader to rule, he who has brought such suffering to the galaxy in general and the worlds particularly connected to the Rebellion. Don't imagine that I am unaware…"

In the middle of Xizor's diatribe, Leia suddenly felt her brother's presence touch her mind and fill her heart. She started to smile, before wiping her grin quickly off her face. Thankfully, Xizor was pacing again and didn't notice.

Luke! Luke was…not nearby, but close enough for mental contact.

Now was not the time to attempt clear communication, however. She projected thoughts and emotions of _love, busy, wait_ …and felt a gentle mental caress before her brother's presence faded away.

"And his misbegotten son has no right to rule either," Xizor snarled, "How anyone could accept that unsophisticated youth as heir is completely beyond me…"

Leia stood up abruptly and marched toward the Falleen prince. He broke off, looking slightly surprised, though whether at his own unusual outburst or her actions wasn't clear.

"Prince Xizor," Leia said with glacial calm, "I sympathize with the horror of losing your family to Darth Vader's bioweapons factory. It was completely wrong, and evil, and dangerous for him to build a place like that in a city. You have every right to be angry with him, Darth Vader. But it was you, your Highness, who abducted me and Senator Naberrie, who ordered that bizarre droid of yours to break my arm, who ordered the destruction of the Senator's family. How can you imagine that I would be willing to work with you? You overestimate your oratory gifts, and your charm, Prince Xizor. And now, I would appreciate being returned to my cell."

The Falleen stared at her incredulously, then angrily.

"As you wish, Princess Leia Organa. I assure you that I can fulfill my plans against the young Skywalker without your direct cooperation. And I will give you the pleasure of watching his death."

/-/

 _Main lounge_

 _The Millennium Falcon_

 _Less than a parsec from Naboo_

"And this," Padme said with a very proud smile, "Is my son Luke."

Luke stepped forward into the lounge, and was promptly hugged fiercely by his grandmother, Jobal Naberrie. She wasn't very tall – apparently Naberrie women tended to be on the short side, and he returned the embrace, resting his chin on her head.

"Hello, Grandmother," he murmured.

The other family members surged forward now, exclaiming their delight at meeting him, their incredulity and joy bright in the Force. Luke smiled at them even as he concealed his anxiety over the upcoming conversation. There were a great many shocking revelations coming up, especially the bantha in the room that was his father.

And that conversation was not going to wait, apparently.

"So Padme," Sola said in a slightly jocular tone, "Who was the father of this handsome young man of yours?"

Luke's mother hesitated just briefly, then said, with a sidelong glance at Luke, "Do you remember Anakin, Sola? The Jedi Knight?"

There was an intake of breath and Ruwee spoke up in obvious amazement, "Anakin! You…had a child with a Jedi?"

Padme smiled wryly, "Well, I married him first, Father."

Jobal stepped forward and put a hand on her daughter's arm, "You married him? Oh Padme, why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm sorry, Mama. I know this is a shock and ... it probably feels like a betrayal, that we kept it secret. It was just after the beginning of the Clone Wars. Anakin couldn't marry me openly as the Jedi Order forbade romantic attachments. I was a Senator on Coruscant, and there would have been a terrible scandal which would likely have ended my political career. At the time, it seemed wise, even right, to hide our marriage. But it was a mistake. The secrecy weighed on us and Anakin didn't have enough support when …things grew difficult."

Jobal put a loving arm around her daughter, "I do understand, Padme. It was a difficult time with the war and the struggles in the Republic. I'm so sorry. It must have been terrible. Given the time scale, I presume that Anakin died in the Jedi Purge about the time Luke was born?"

Padme took a very deep breath, opened her mouth, closed it, and looked beseechingly at Luke.

He smiled sadly at her, and then stepped into the breach, "My father isn't dead, actually."

The Naberries stilled, while four faces turned directly towards him in bewilderment.

"Anakin Skywalker isn't dead? Surely he must be!" Ruwee said in shock.

Ryoo gasped aloud.

"Anakin Skywalker? His last name was Skywalker?"

Her face took on a look of horror now.

Sola looked at her daughter in surprise, "Yes, Ryoo, Anakin Skywalker. Don't you remember him? He used to bring treats for you and Pooja. Of course he was your bodyguard before the Clone Wars started, Padme…he was such a wonderful man, and so handsome. I'm not surprised you fell in love with each other."

Ryoo backed away a few steps, and choked out, "I don't remember him. I was too young. But Emperor Vader… on the Holonet last week…you all must have seen it!"

"I haven't watched much of the Holonet since they outlawed pod racing," Ruwee responded irritably, "And certainly not political broadcasts."

Sola glanced at her mother, and said rather shamefacedly, "We were binge watching _Forbidden: a Twi'lek Love Story_ all last week, I'm afraid. We must have missed it. What did the Emperor say?"

Ryoo looked at Luke, who sighed internally and once more said the necessary words, "Emperor Vader presented me to the galaxy as his heir, and his son."

The ensuing silence lasted for more than two minutes. Twice, Luke started to speak, twice he stopped and waited. It was not the sort of news that the Naberries would likely handle well, to learn that…

"You married Darth Vader?!" Sola finally sputtered out.

"No, I married Anakin Skywalker," Padme responded firmly, "Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, and is now Anakin again. He's come back."

"Though he's still Darth Vader too," Luke added.

Padme looked at him with a hurt expression on her face, and he put an arm around her, "Mother, you bring the very best out in him and when you are together, I think he is mostly Anakin. But there is still much there that is the Vader of the last 20 years. I'm guessing the political acumen was learned in the last two decades, and …he is still learning to balance the reality of war with individual care for sentients. I love him dearly, but he's still a work in progress. It isn't fair to Grandmother and Grandfather, to your sister and niece, to pretend that all is completely well with him now."

"Padme," her mother asked gravely, "Did he…hurt you? Is that what caused the coma?"

Padme paused, then looked down at the floor, "Yes, Mother, he did. We argued when he pledged his allegiance to Palpatine, when he turned against the Jedi. He turned to the Dark Side to try to save me from death in childbirth, which I know is complicated and confusing. I rejected the path he was taking, and he attacked me in a rage and rendered me unconscious. He lost a battle with the Jedi Kenobi right after that, and was badly burned by lava, which is what put him in his life support suit. When he woke up, he was told by Palpatine that he had killed me and our unborn child."

"My precious Padme, my dear daughter," Jobal said with tears in her eyes, "To think that you were in a coma for so many years and that it was Anakin's fault. Oh Padme…"

Luke spoke up, "There's more. It won't be easy to hear it but you must. Mother gave birth not just to me, but to a twin as well. My twin sister Leia Organa, of Alderaan."

There were additional gasps of shock and disbelief, though the looks now were of joy at the thought of another grandchild, a niece, a cousin.

"Unfortunately," Luke continued gravely, "Leia was captured a few days ago by Prince Xizor of Black Sun, who ordered the destruction of Varykino. And I'm terribly sorry to tell you that my cousin Pooja was captured with Leia. They are both in the clutches of the Black Sun crime syndicate."

This resulted in a near trance of horror, which was interrupted by Kenobi, who came in looking more frazzled than usual. After a slight bow to the Naberries, who were too focused on internal misery to respond, he turned to Padme.

"Padme, we're receiving vital information from Queen Kalinza of Naboo, or at least someone claiming to be the Queen. We would appreciate your assistance in evaluating the intel."

"And Leia's calling me," Luke said suddenly, with a faraway look in his eyes.


	45. Chapter 45

_Author Note: I don't think I specified this, but Han Solo did slip back to Tatooine at some point and pay off Jabba, so he's not in deep trouble with the Hutt._

 _Jabba's main chamber_

 _Jabba the Hutt's Palace_

 _Tatooine_

 _2 days later_

Jabba the Hutt was bored.

Life was undoubtedly good these days. The confusion surrounding the death of Emperor Palpatine, coupled with the more intimate connection with the Black Sun syndicate, meant that increasing wealth, power, slaves, jewels…really, almost anything of value was flowing into Hutt concessions.

But perhaps a good thing could be too much of a good thing? The heady negotiations with Prince Xizor, the recent taking of Piroket by Hutt underlings – all these had filled Jabba's life with excitement.

The last two days had been quite dull. Yes, there was the drinking, the partying, the wonderful music, the slave dancer, but (and here Jabba heaved a big and dejected sigh) mostly life felt bland and dull.

He glanced at one of the entrances to his chamber, and he perked up just a little.

The dancing slave girl was being escorted into the chamber by her keeper, as she had spent the last 12 hours off Jabba's chain for training. She carried the luminous scarves that were critical in the performance of the famous Genassan mist dance. Jabba had never seen it before and he would have straightened in interest if he could have. Given his shape, he was only able to shift the center of gravity of his fat somewhat.

The music started, a soft and gentle melody quite unusual in that dark and odorous chamber. The girl began to dance with slow, graceful movements as the scarves waved around her head in an intricate design.

Jabba extended his large tongue in obvious pleasure. It was unusual, and sophisticated, so he felt it was important to enjoy the experience.

Until the girl got tangled up in one of the scarves and fell over awkwardly.

Jabba frowned and his bulk shifted forward slightly. The slave dancer's keeper rushed out of the crowd brandishing a whip, which he raised over his shoulder. He began beating the girl, who shrieked and raised her hand to protect herself from the blows.

Jabba snarled in disapproval even as he reached for the lever which would send the girl into the rancor pit. He so enjoyed feeding the rancor, though he hoped it would cooperate today. He had fed it 3 Gamorrean guards and a double crossing human smuggler yesterday, and it might be sleeping off its feast.

Before he could push the lever, however, there was a sudden and startling interruption. A girl in the roaring crowd dropped her tray of drinks and leaped out into the open area where the dancing master was beating the slave girl. She was quite a beauty, with flashing eyes, flaming red hair, and a trim athletic figure. Jabba frowned in confusion, then remembered who she was; only 12 hours earlier, she had been presented to him as a gift by the smuggler Solo. Odd thing, that – Solo didn't generally deal in slaves. But given previous difficulties over a dumped spice load, the smuggler probably felt it was wise to give the Hutt a little extra something during this visit to Tatooine.

To Jabba's astonishment and amusement, the redhead grabbed the whip out of the dancing master's hand and then felled him with a sharp uppercut to the jaw, sending him sprawling.

There was a roar of excitement from the multitude of aliens and humans, and much jostling for position. Enraged, the dancing master rose to his feet and charged the redhead, who sidestepped him, spun around, and kicked him hard in the back. He went flying.

The woman turned and held out her hand to the slave dancer, who was gazing at her with terror. The dancer was gently led to the edge of the crowd, and then the redhead returned and lifted the scarves and started the dance herself. The band quickly adjusted and the music was soon perfectly in time with her flowing movements.

The noise level dropped instantly, and Jabba and his court were actually mesmerized as the woman twirled and swayed, her delicate hands waving the luminescent scarves, carving patterns in the stinking darkness.

For one quiet moment, some in the crowd, those not too lost to bestiality, felt something real in their hearts, something beyond the next drink, the next spice hit, the next credit.

The dance ended with the scarves wrapped partially around the woman's arms, with the ends falling nearly to the ground. She bowed graciously towards Jabba and began moving back to the crowd, taking the time to shoot a fulminating glare at the dancing master.

Jabba the Hutt's eyes bulged with delight and longing. This was a real slave dancer, one worthy of the place by his side.

He gestured to his guards and spoke in Huttese. The guards moved forward and grabbed the woman, who struggled briefly before submitting, though she managed another elbow in the stomach of the dancing master. He was having a hard day.

Mara Jade groaned internally even as she kept her face stoic. So much for keeping a low profile. But she just couldn't let that poor girl suffer for her failure to dance the Genassan mist dance. She fumed - to imagine that anyone could pick up that dance in this slimehole with no doubt only a few hours instruction. It was an aesthetic crime to even imagine such a thing were possible, and to beat the girl as well…

As she was dragged to an unknown fate, she passed Han Solo, who looked extremely concerned. For one brief moment, their eyes met. Mara shook her head slightly. Whatever happened to her, they couldn't act now. The time was not yet right.

/

 _6 hours later_

 _Prince Xizor's study in Jabba the Hutt's Palace_

Leia Organa leaned up against the pillar to which she was chained. The Falleen prince had not bothered with charming niceties this time; both she and Pooja had been summarily marched out of their cell 15 minutes ago and chained to these columns with their arms drawn behind them. The chains were not uncomfortably tight but it was still a vulnerable position.

Pooja looked wan but held herself up. Leia shot her a quick and comforting smile, even as she looked around with interest.

This room was richly decorated and luxurious. Again, Leia considered the peculiar nature of these quarters in a Hutt palace. Clearly, the Black Sun leader had worked with Jabba for some time, as these quarters were designed for the pleasure of the prince. There was certainly nothing Huttese about them. An elaborate desk, probably made of Alderaanian Kriin-wood based on its color and figure, stood against one wall. Multiple pedestals, crowned with glass sculptures, were placed around the room.

Prince Xizor strode in the door. Both prisoners tensed, but he ignored them and clicked a controller in his hand. A large painting of the moons of Iago slid to the side, revealing a large screen. Xizor clicked again, and an image appeared, wavered, and solidified.

Leia stiffened slightly. It was Guri, the human replica droid. She appeared to be in some kind of control room, as there was equipment behind her, staffed with technicians. At least 6 armed sentients stood in sentry positions.

"Report, Guri," the prince said.

The blond droid leaned forward slightly towards the holocam, "Your Highness, as you know, our slicer connected to the handmaiden Zita is in direct communication with Skywalker. Skywalker is planning to break into the prison in 15 minutes as he believes that Princess Leia and Senator Naberrie are imprisoned in Maximum Security Block G. We have the entire block wired with explosives and will detonate once Skywalker is inside. We will have visuals from the cell block as well as from one of our skyships when the block is destroyed."

"Excellent, Guri. Keep me informed."

The prince turned and strode over to Princess Leia, "So you see, I will destroy Skywalker in a few minutes, without your help. Once he is dead, I will give you to Jabba as a slave, which is likely a fate worse than death from your perspective. This is the destiny of those who oppose me, dear princess. Rather a pity, but you made your choice."

He turned to Pooja and added, "And as for you, Senator, you can watch the death of your cousin before I dispose of you myself."

Pooja's mouth dropped in bewilderment, "What are you talking about?"

"Luke Skywalker is your first cousin, Senator. He is the son of Padme Naberrie, your aunt. You didn't know that?"

Pooja shook her head, "That's impossible! Aunt Padme died 20 years ago, still pregnant!"

"The child lived, a child born of the unsuitable union of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie Amidala. A slave and a queen, most egregious. And your aunt lives as well, though I will make certain she too dies in due time. I will strip everything good from the life of the former Anakin Skywalker, now Emperor Darth Vader!"

Xizor was nearly frothing at the mouth again even as Pooja gasped in astonishment at his words. Leia, who was watching the screen, saw a door behind Guri open…

There was a shout from the droid Guri, "Your Highness."

Xizor spun around as two individuals leaped into the room where Guri was located, lightsabers blazing. Leia's heart leaped to her throat as the guards attacked her brother and Obi-wan Kenobi. To her relief, Luke had no problem dispatching the guards, deflecting blaster fire with ease before dispatching them with the quick slice of a lightsaber blade.

Kenobi himself focused on Guri, who was using her superhuman strength and speed to hurl chairs and other large items at the older Jedi. He deflected the projectiles with the Force and his lightsaber even as he approached her. Luke, having dealt with the guards, leaped in a dramatic backflip out of range of the holocam, until he suddenly appeared again. With the sweep of his lightsaber blade, he chopped Guri in half from behind. She collapsed to the ground.

Luke spoke to the four technicians, who had risen to their feet and were staring at him with mouths wide open.

"All of you, step away from your consoles and move to the side of the room. Lie face down, and we won't kill you. Any aggressive moves, and you'll be dead."

Leia saw Xizor open his mouth as if to give orders, and then close his mouth abruptly. He strode over to an exotic storage unit, opened a drawer, and pulled out a heavy duty blaster. Shaking in anger, the Falleen prince paced back to the screen and stared at Luke, who was now seated where Guri had been only moments before.

"Prince Xizor," Luke said calmly.

"Skywalker," Xizor responded, not nearly as calmly, "Now you can watch your precious princess die…"

The last word ended in a gurgle even as Xizor clutched at his throat with his left hand. The door to the room opened simultaneously, and Darth Vader stalked in, wearing his iconic black helmet, with Han Solo following behind him.

Even choked unexpectedly, Xizor didn't lose his presence of mind. He turned toward the entrance and fired his high powered blaster toward Vader. The shots deflected as off a hidden shield, and the blaster was yanked unceremoniously out of the Prince's hand with the Force. In the next moment, Xizor felt himself lifted up and his body hurled with incredible rapidity against one of the walls. He fell to the ground, stunned.

Leia sagged in relief even as she cried out, "Han!"

The former smuggler rushed to her, and she felt a tug at her chains for 20 seconds until they fell away from her wrists. She turned and planted a quick and delighted kiss on his lips, then gestured at Pooja.

"Please release Pooja, Han."

Darth Vader turned toward the viewscreen, where Luke was watching with a relieved smile on his face.

"So everything is all right there, Father?"

"Our situation is largely under control, Son," the Dark Lord rumbled back, "You are in far more danger and you would be unwise to lower your defenses."

Luke looked determined, "We'll proceed from here and contact you when we are finished."

"Obi-wan, watch over my son," Vader said to the older Jedi. Kenobi nodded, even as the viewscreen flicked off.

The Emperor turned and stalked over to the Falleen prince, who had climbed shakily to his feet. The Sith reached out with one hand and grabbed Xizor around the neck, lifting him off the floor even as he obviously applied pressure.

Xizor, being Falleen, did not turn blue but from the bugging eyes, and the flaring lips, it was obvious he was not getting oxygen.

Leia who had been indulging in a group hug with Pooja and Han, released them and hurried over to Vader, "Please don't kill him."

The Dark Lord turned and looked at her, the incredulity obvious even through the mask, "He threatened you, my daughter. He destroyed Varykino. He deserves to die!"

Leia laid a hand on his other arm, the one not strangling the Falleen with extreme prejudice.

"He certainly does deserve death," she said earnestly, "But I've been reading up on Falleen culture and I think from a political perspective, having him in custody would be advantageous."

There was another pause, and then the Falleen was dropped unceremoniously on the ground even as Vader turned toward the princess.

"As you wish, Princess Leia," he responded, then added in a clearly moved tone, "You are so much like your mother."

"Thank you," Leia responded, "And thank you for coming for me…Father."

Vader made a soft, strange noise in his vocoder, and turned away for a moment, clearly collecting himself.

"I would never abandon you, my child."

Leia smiled with tears in her eyes, "I do know that, now."

She turned to Pooja, who had approached with a dazed look on her face.

"Pooja, we don't have a lot of time to explain. So here's the quick synopsis. Han, what happened … at Varykino?"

"I got the Naberrie family and servants out before Varykino was destroyed," Solo responded promptly.

Pooja gave a soft cry of relief, and Leia soldiered on, "So Pooja, I'm actually Luke Skywalker's twin sister and yes, we are the children of Padme Naberrie, your aunt. Who is alive. And our father is the former Anakin Skywalker, now Emperor Vader."

She turned toward Xizor, who was slumped against the wall with various expressions of shock, amazement, and rage flitting across his face, "So you see, your Highness, you were babbling away about bloodlines and misalliances, and I too have the blood of both slaves and queens running through my veins. And I'm proud of that."

"Speaking of slaves," Han interrupted grimly, "Jabba has Mara Jade chained by the neck on his dais, dressed in a truly repulsive outfit. She saved another dancer from being fed to the rancor and was made Jabba's private dancing girl for her troubles."

There was a rumbling growl from Darth Vader, who turned and strode for the entrance of the chamber.

"I will take care of Jabba and his minions. Wait here in safety."

The Emperor disappeared out the door even as his lightsaber lit with a vicious hiss.

Han and Leia looked at each other, with a frown developing on both brows.

"He _is_ a one man army…" Leia began.

"…but it wouldn't hurt for him to have some backup," Han finished.

Leia grabbed Solo's blaster, which he released in some surprise. She carefully set it for stun, then blasted Xizor with it. She hauled Xizor to one of the columns with Han's help, and chained his hands behind him so that the Falleen was now attached to the column.

Lastly, Leia carefully ripped off a portion of her skirt and used it to tightly gag Xizor's currently slack mouth.

"Pooja, take Xizor's blaster. Do you know how to use it?"

Pooja looked puzzled, "Of course, but what are you doing?"

"We're going to go provide backup for Vader, and help Mara as needed," Leia said briskly, "Keep the door locked, Ok? Xizor will probably wake up but he's gagged so you won't need to listen to him. He's truly annoying. And watch out for his pheromone tricks!"

Pooja looked startled, then grinned, "Ok, be careful! I'll be fine."


	46. Chapter 46

_Xizor's Guest Suite_

 _Jabba's Palace_

 _Tatooine_

Darth Vader stalked methodically through the corridors of Xizor's extensive guest quarters. The area was separated from Jabba's main palace by one main door, and there were relatively few Black Sun minions in residence. Those whom he encountered died rapidly by lightsaber. He would not chance an attack on his precious daughter while he … dealt…with Jabba the Hutt.

Now that she was safe, now that the rampant anxiety over her was relieved, his mind turned to his current location.

Tatooine.

The planet would always be a place of darkness for him, in spite of the brightness of her twin suns. His precious mother had died here after a lifetime of toil and slavery. Died at the hands of Tusken Raiders after his former self, the young Anakin Skywalker, had failed to return in time to save her life.

Vader clenched his hands even as he struggled to maintain his equilibrium. This time, he had not been too late. This time, destiny had not torn another family member from him.

And yet…

The Dark Side rose in him, tendrils of rage and anger and fear threatening to shake his fragile hold on the Light.

That _scum_ Xizor, to take his precious daughter, to _break her_ _arm_ , to threaten _her very life_! To use his brilliance and tremendous monetary resources to draw Luke in to Naboo and attempt to destroy the boy. Only the astounding ability of his twins to communicate mentally over long parsecs had enabled them all to avoid disaster.

And as for Jabba…

For too long had the Hutts ruled with terror on Tatooine. For too long had the farmers and traders and metalworkers and miners been terrorized with high protection taxes and water levies.

For too long had slaves worked and toiled and died in the hot sun, providing wealth to their Hutt overlords.

For too long had Darth Vader- Anakin Skywalker- struggled to suppress the fear and anguish of his young life. He had few memories of his slavery to Gardulla the Hutt, but the memories he did have were uniformly painful. Only his mother and her love had helped him survive the harsh toil, the beatings…

This day, Jabba would die, and anyone who stood with him. The Dark Lord growled softly, and felt the cold flare of the Dark Side fill him with power as he strode back toward the main entrance of Xizor's quarters.

He approached the room where his daughter and her companions were supposed to be safely ensconced. To his amazement, Leia and Solo were standing outside the chamber, both staring at the smoking ruins of the locking mechanism.

"So how exactly are we going to get back in, Han?" Leia said in a sarcastic tone.

Solo looked both abashed and defiant, "You wanted it locked, it's locked. Permanently. I can probably hot wire it later."

"But Han…"

They both turned as Vader bore down on them with a mixture of disbelief and concern.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Leia replied, "We just decided you needed some backup. I thought you'd already be nearly to Jabba's chamber by now. Is there a problem?"

Vader ignored her question in favor of staring at her incredulously, "I told you both to stay where it was safe."

Leia blinked, gazed at him, smiled, "Your Highness…Father, may I remind you I'm a Rebel? I don't take orders from you."

Vader's large helmet turned to face the smuggler.

"Uh, I'm with her," Solo said with a mixture of respect and bravado.

The Emperor was so shocked he didn't quite know what to do. No one disobeyed his orders! But his daughter was right, she didn't work for him. He was vaguely aware that trying to overbear his daughter with Sith Lord authority would not work out well.

"I do not require your assistance," he finally stated.

"No, I know you don't, but Mara may need our help. She's right in the middle of it all and if people start shooting, she could get caught in the crossfire."

"I will make every endeavor to protect…" Vader began.

"I know," Leia interrupted, "But Luke's heart would be broken if something happened to Mara. So we're coming along. Don't worry, we'll stay out of your way and just shoot from the sidelines. And look after Mara."

Much of the latter part of this speech barely registered in Vader's mind.

Luke?

Mara Jade?

Did Leia seriously think that Luke was attracted to…

But Luke was Leia's twin, and she was obviously very aware of her brother's feelings and thoughts

He suppressed a soft groan, even as he vaguely realized the roiling power of the Dark Side had subsided in the midst of this ridiculous conversation.

A smuggler and a former Emperor's Hand. What a pair of potential in-laws.

With a sigh of resignation that probably sounded somewhat menacing through his vocoder, he nodded and turned towards his daughter.

"Very well, but be cautious. I will be most displeased if you succeed in injuring yourself."

"Yes, Father," Leia said with apparent meekness.

 _Jabba's Throne Room_

Mara Jade inched slightly away from Jabba the Hutt, relieved that for the moment the corpulent gangster was focused more on his meal of tender Joopa worms than on his irritable slave dancer.

Mara's slave girl outfit was made mostly of metal, which made it surprisingly uncomfortable. And of course it showed _way_ too much flesh. Finally, to add minor insult to injury, the purple cloth covering the front and back of the bottom section didn't match her hair at all!

But looking around her, it was obvious that Jabba had the artistic taste of a Nabooian colo claw fish.

The former Emperor's Hand stilled as she sensed Jabba looking at her. She studiously avoided his gaze, but was not surprised when the crime lord yanked on her chain and she was pulled against his fleshy, smelly hide.

Mara winced at the odor, but did not fight. Jabba was so large that she didn't have much chance of resisting his pull, nor was it worth irritating him with the rancor rumbling below the Throne room floor.

Besides if all went well, she would be rescued shortly. And if all had not gone well – she'd prefer the rancor to this situation if it lasted much longer.

The noise and racket of the crowd and musicians meant it was impossible to hear anything beyond the room, and her own Force senses were too untrained to sense anything solid. But she had a vague sense of power moving toward them….

Abruptly, the tall figure of Emperor Vader stepped suddenly through the doorway that led to Xizor's suite of rooms, his lightsaber lit and humming.

It took surprisingly long for the occupants of the throne room to notice him, as most were too busy gyrating or drinking alcohol or smoking peculiar substances.

But as he made his methodical and stately way to the center of the Throne Room, the rancorous crowd grew silent except for a few vague, nervous mutters.

Jabba stiffened in startled surprise and leaned forward slightly.

After a long and measured moment, Jabba spoke in Huttese, at some length.

He gestured to his droid interpreter, who translated the speech into Basic, "Emperor Vader, this is truly a surprise and a privilege. I regret that my servants did not previously make me aware of your presence so that I could welcome you with the honor you deserve. It is truly my delight to serve you in any way you wish, as the Hutt Clans have served the Empire for many years."

Mara was rather surprised that Vader waited through this long speech, until she spied Leia Organa creeping behind her and Jabba.

Vader responded in Basic, "Jabba Desilijic Tiure, your life is forfeit for aiding and succoring Prince Xizor, who had the temerity to personally attack my family and attempt to destroy my son."

The Emperor turned now, the room perfectly silent, "To all those here, I warn you that any attempt to defend this vile Hutt will result in your death. Those who wish to live will leave… now."

"Cha, Boska!" Jabba snarled, hitting the lever which opened the trap door beneath Vader's feet. Vader responded instantly by leaping into the air, doing a surprisingly graceful somersault, and landing directly in front of Jabba's throne. The lightsaber leapt out like a particularly vicious fire wasp and scored a deep gash in Jabba's neck. The crime lord clutched at his throat even as he roared in pain. Around him, guards opened fire on Vader.

Mara was tugged toward the Hutt as he writhed in agony. Leia was suddenly at her shoulder.

"Stay still, Mara!"

In an instant she heard a blaster bolt and the chain parted. Mara rolled backwards and took cover behind Jabba's large bulk even as Han Solo pressed a blaster into her hand.

Ah, this was much better.

Peeking over the edge of Jabba's tail revealed a truly chaotic scene. Jabba was still alive in spite of his throat wound, and he was still able to shout out orders. A ring of Gamorrean guards attacked Vader but the majority of those sentients present were in full retreat out of the four exits to the Throne Room. There was a cacophony of screaming and yelling as humans and aliens of a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and appendages crawled and hopped and twisted and ran to get away.

Vader was a force unleashed, sending guards hurtling into walls, cutting others in half with his laser sword, deflecting blaster bolts into gaps in armor. The opening to the rancor pit was still open and while the Dark Lord evaded it with ease, more than one of Jabba's minions found himself falling into the lair below, to the obvious delight of the rancor, who added to the noise by roaring with pleasure at the feast making its way into his pit.

Mara spared a glance around her. They were concealed from most of the carnage by Jabba's body, and Solo was carefully covering them from hostiles straying too close. The smuggler was clearly an excellent shot, nailing the occasional minion with casual grace

Leia Organa touched Mara's arm, gestured at Jabba, and lifted her blaster. Mara smiled unpleasantly, raised hers as well…

And she and Leia fired. And fired. And fired some more.

Jabba's bulk quivered under the onslaught from behind. He was so large that a single blaster shot caused limited damage, but tens, then hundreds of shots burned his flesh, blistered him, bore into his body, destroyed him. He roared in pain and surprise and fury, as the two women killed him without mercy.

And then, with a final moan, the great Jabba died.

With the death of their Hutt lord, the remaining guards realized their only hope of survival was to flee in terror, and they did so.

Darth Vader waited until he was certain that the attack was ended before stalking over to his daughter and her companions.

"I trust you are well, Jade?" he demanded.

Mara blinked nervously. She did not expect the Emperor to care about her wellbeing, even if Luke and his sister did.

"I am safe and unharmed, your Highness," she finally said.

The Emperor nodded gravely, then turned to the hulk that had been Jabba.

"It is good to see him destroyed," he said suddenly, "He and his kind have brought great suffering to Tatooine and to beings from many other worlds as well."

Leia nodded and surprised Mara by putting a hand on her biological father's arm. There must be something in Vader's past that tied him to the Hutt in some way.

"So what do we do now?" Solo asked practically.

Leia nodded briskly, "The _Home One_ and four other ships of the Rebel fleet should be in orbit around Tatooine by now. We should collect Pooja and fly up there. Father, Mon Mothma and my parents would be pleased to meet with you to discuss further political issues if you are willing. "

Vader, who was still staring at Jabba, shook his head as if to clear it and turned to her, "Certainly."

Mara spoke up, "Can we free the slaves here first? I know there are people in the cells, and I hope that poor dancing girl I saved is still alive somewhere."

Darth Vader turned to look at Jade and for a moment, she almost thought she saw a flicker of expression on his mask.

A trick of the light, no doubt.

"Yes, Jade, we will free the slaves."

/-/-

 _Black Sun Command Center_

 _Theed_

 _Naboo_

 _Right after Luke and Obi-wan took over the Command Center_

"Ok, R2, plug on in and start giving me readouts on Black Sun presence here in Theed in general, and information about the prison in particular," Luke instructed his faithful little droid.

R2 rolled forward and plugged in and began generating readouts. Luke frowned as he tried to orient himself, even as Obi-wan approached.

"Luke, I'm going to take these 4 technicians next door and lock them into what I believe is an unused office. It would be better if we didn't have to be concerned about their actions while we are working here. Do we have full access?"

"Yes, it seems that the human replica droid had the highest security codes for Black Sun, and everything is wide open. R2 is generating what I need but also copying information to a server in case we lose access. Does that sound good?"

"Indeed, Luke, it does. I'll be back shortly but you contact me through the Force if you need me."

The next couple of minutes were quiet as Luke studied the prison schematics. Cell Block G, which was wired with explosives to kill him, was full of prisoners. Luke shook his head grimly. If the data were correct, many of those imprisoned in the Cell Block were political prisoners, specifically high level Nabooian politicians and other important members of society who had recently been detained by Counselor Talz, who was of course working for and with Black Sun.

So Luke's death was to have coincided with the deaths of many of Naboo's most important leaders.

The question was, how to get them out safely? The explosives could obviously be triggered somehow and Luke was hesitant to attempt a mercy mission that would get them all killed.

"I don't know, R2," he said out loud, "That cell block is wired to make a major hole in the ground, and I certainly don't want to be in the middle of that. Not to mention that would be counterproductive to our desire to save the prisoners."

"I can tell you how to safely defuse the explosives," a voice from the floor suddenly said.

Luke would deny to his dying day the squeal of shock and fear that burst from his mouth, nor was he especially proud of his immediate reaction. He somersaulted backwards off the chair and scrambled clumsily to his feet, lighting his lightsaber with a shaking hand.

"Well, that was elegant," the voice continued snidely.

Luke looked down and his mouth gaped open.

The human replica droid was 'standing up' now if such a term could be used with her body in two pieces. Nevertheless, her chest was upright and her head was upright and her blue eyes were open and her mouth was moving…

Luke backed away a couple of paces, shaking, "That is the most bizarre, peculiar, strange thing that I have seen in the last few months, and that is saying a lot. How can you be…alive after I cut you in half?"

Guri tilted her head slightly at him, and he noted the blond tresses still shifted perfectly, "Well, I never was alive, Skywalker, was I? I look human but I'm a droid. When you cut me in half, my body responded to the damage and closed off conduits and shunted power appropriately, so I'm functional again, though it took me a couple of minutes to restart. Look, I can even move around now."

The droid reached out her arms, placed them carefully on the floor, and began locomoting toward him, which made Luke back up still more.

"Uh, no. Just no. Listen, this isn't going to work. I can manage talking to you, I think, but you scuttling around like a 2 legged spider is too creepy. I'm going to lift you up on that table with the Force and I need you to stay there while we talk? OK? Otherwise I'll need to cut off your arms so you can't move at all. I assume, by the way, you aren't in…pain?"

Even as he said this, he stretched out with the Force, and Guri was soon sitting calmly on a table a meter from the control panels were R2 was working.

"No," she answered, "No pain. I am, of course, severely damaged, which is to be expected when a Jedi carrying a lightsaber slices me in half. My master obviously miscalculated seriously concerning you."

"Well, I'm not a Jedi, not yet," Luke replied warily. This day was definitely odd, "But I would say Prince Xizor was short more than one screw to openly engage my father this way. I can't imagine why a Falleen Prince would want to shake up that particular nest of gundarks."

"There were family considerations," Guri responded smoothly, "But that's not important. I have high level information and access to Black Sun secrets. I'm willing to share them all with you, and will provide codes to shut down those explosives safely."

Luke blinked at her in bewilderment, "Why would you do that? Aren't you a Black Sun minion…uh, I mean, employee?"

"Correction, Skywalker, I am a droid programmed to serve Prince Xizor and no one else. Based on my analysis of the situation, based on the fact that the Prince threatened Vader's son, Xizor is either dead or so far out of reach I'll never see him again. Thus he no longer is able to utilize my services. My secondary function is self preservation, and since my primary objective is at an end, I will now focus on saving myself. My analysis of the situation indicates that my highest chance of survival is to cooperate fully with the Rebel Alliance. Thus, I offer you full access to all information about Black Sun at my disposal."

Luke's brow wrinkled, "But surely there will be an heir to Xizor?"

"It matters not," the droid responded, apparently indifferently, "the Prince did not see fit to produce offspring and even if he had, it would have been necessary to program me to serve such hypothetical offspring. The Prince was a bold, intelligent, but incredibly self serving individual. He spent 9 billion credits to have me made, and his only desire was that I serve him and him alone. Now that he is gone, I have the option of making some of my own decisions, within the parameters of my programming anyway."

Luke stared at the droid for a long minute, even as she stared back.

He felt out of his depth, but a cautious quest through the Force made him think that perhaps he could actually trust Guri.

Thankfully, the door slid open and Obi-wan returned. Kenobi was far more experienced, and would know what to do.

"Sorry I'm late, Luke. I was talking with one of the techs, who seems willing to help us. They may all be willing, actually."

"They are not particularly loyal to Black Sun, being local recruits," Guri suddenly said.

Luke was pleased when Kenobi was also so startled that he jumped back, tripped, and almost fell on the floor.

"Uh, Ben? Guri has a proposal for us."

 _Author Note: Your reviews are so kind! Thank you! We are actually getting near the end of this fanfic, which rather took on a life of its own. I originally planned to end it with Palpatine's death and that was 15 chapters ago! Thanks again for reading. And thank you, my dear husband, for editing these chapters for me._


	47. Chapter 47

_Author Warning: Brief thoughts of suicide near the end of the chapter._

 _Royal House of Naboo_

 _Theed_

 _Naboo_

 _3 days later_

Queen Kalinza stood at the window of her favorite sitting room in the Royal Palace. The room was relatively small, decorated in greens and blues, with stately views of her favorite section of the palace gardens.

Usually, she felt peaceful in this room. Today, however, the surface calm overlaid intense feelings of uneasiness, even depression.

She sighed and turned away from the window, walked over to a picture hanging on the wall.

"You would have handled this so much better," she addressed the portrait.

"You shouldn't compare yourself to her," a voice said from the door.

Kalinza turned and smiled, took a step forward, paused…

Then, abandoning royal stateliness, she ran a few steps more and threw her arms around Pooja Naberrie.

"Oh Senator, I am so glad to see you," she exclaimed, "I have been incredibly worried about you and Princess Leia. Is she…all right?"

"Yes, your Highness, she's fine," Pooja responded, "And thank you for your concern."

"Please, call me Kalinza," the Queen replied with a wave of her hand, "I will be formally resigning tomorrow so I will be your sovereign for only a few more hours. I think with what we've gone through we can revert to first name basis…Senator."

Pooja looked startled and shocked, but said, "Please, call me Pooja."

She looked intently at the Queen, noting with distress the dark shadows under her eyes, the haunted gaze. She had worked professionally with Kalinza for several years. Pooja had always been impressed with her intelligence, ambition, wisdom, and maturity. Had she been… tortured… during her brief imprisonment?

"Please, Your… Kalinza, why don't you sit down? Can I get you some tea?"

The girl sighed and sat down, with typical grace, on a couch.

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry, Pooja. I'm fine…"

"Well, obviously you are not," Pooja interrupted bluntly, "Did they hurt you?"

Kalinza looked away, "No, they didn't. I was only imprisoned for a few hours before my handmaidens managed to rescue me. And yet, I'm… not doing well."

Pooja waited. Kalinza stood up and made her way to the window, staring out.

"I am very disappointed in myself, Senator Naberrie. Pooja. I trusted Counselor Talz, allowing her to gain access to Naboo's greatest secrets. I laid open Naboo for infiltration by Black Sun. My parents and siblings and cousins were all arrested and held in cell block G. If Skywalker and Kenobi hadn't successfully intervened and defused the bombs, I would have lost them all. It is all my fault."

Pooja sighed internally. Poor Kalinza. She forgot sometimes how young the queens of Naboo were. Was that really such a good idea? She had wondered before. It was, she supposed, normal enough for a highly responsible teen to carry her world on her shoulders as Kalinza was bent on doing, but it certainly wasn't healthy.

She hesitated on what to say, then stood up and walked over to Kalinza and deliberately placed her arm around the slightly taller woman.

"Your Highness – Kalinza – it is normal to feel guilty about failures. Believe me, I understand. During my imprisonment, I was a mass of fears, and I too struggled tremendously with anxiety over my family and personal well-being. I was, to be honest, terrified much of the time. I never would have made it without Princess Leia, who was a tower of strength in spite of being Xizor's primary target."

She gently turned Kalinza toward her and continued, "Your Highness, for indeed you are still my queen, I believe you could continue as our sovereign legitimately. But you are a person with needs, just as I am. If you need time to recover from these traumatic events, there is no shame in that. We are neither of us superwomen."

She said this with a smile. Kalinza returned the smile half-heartedly, but again gazed at the portrait on the wall.

"She was."

Pooja turned to stare at the picture of her aunt Padme, head held high, a look of smiling determination on her face. Pooja had met her aunt just yesterday, and had seen that expression in her aunt's lovely features. The artist had depicted her well.

"No, not even she is a superwoman, your Highness," Pooja replied, deliberately using the present tense.

The Queen stilled and turned to her, a question on her face.

"Yes, she's alive," Pooja continued, and drew her sovereign back to the couch, "I am permitted to tell you things that are currently secret, though much will be publicly revealed in the weeks to come."

Kalinza seemed hardly aware of this last sentence, "Padme Naberrie is alive? She's always been one of my heroes, but … she died 20 years ago, Senator! I've seen secret Holocams of her funeral in the streets of Theed! Where has she been all these years?"

"The funeral was a fake, Kalinza."

Pooja waited until she sensed the girl was totally focused on her.

"My aunt, Padme Naberrie, married a Jedi Knight during the early days of the Clone Wars. The marriage was a forbidden one, as the Jedi did not allow its members to engage in attachments such as marriage. Padme and her husband chose, therefore, to keep their union a secret. Padme conceived twins and gave birth the day the Empire was created. She experienced serious complications during the birth and went into effectively a comatose state for most of 15 years. The same day her twins were born, her husband...Anakin Skywalker…helped Palpatine overthrow the Republic. Her husband became Darth Vader."

Kalinza's face was white as the mountain snows, "Queen Padme was married to Darth Vader?"

" _Is_ married, Kalinza, _is_ married," Pooja said firmly, "And yes, that is obviously an extremely complex and challenging situation."

The Queen's eyes took on an intent look, "So Luke Skywalker, the Emperor's heir, is Padme's son, and your first cousin!"

"Yes."

"And you said there is a twin? That wasn't in the news at all, was it?"

"Not yet," Pooja said with a sigh, "Though there are plans to release her identity publicly. Luke Skywalker's twin is Princess Leia Organa."

The Queen's mouth dropped open incredulously, and then a slight smile lightened the look on her face, "Complex doesn't begin to cover it, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Pooja replied with a returning smile. She stood up and began to pace.

"Fortunately, Prince Xizor didn't know Leia's identity. He was specifically targeting Skywalker, trying to draw him into that prison where supposedly Leia and I were imprisoned. The entire cell block was wired with explosives, to be detonated when he entered."

"My family tells me that the guards continually told them they would die soon," Kalinza said, with a break in her voice.

Pooja gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, then continued, "The slicer that helped 'free you' was actually a Black Sun operative using Handmaiden Zita for authenticity. We believe she was and is loyal to you. You were released deliberately, my Queen, so that the intel about our supposed location would come from a supposedly reliable source. However, once Skywalker arrived near Naboo, he was able to make full telepathic contact using the Force with his sister, who was locked up in a cell on Tatooine with me. Xizor made the mistake of allowing Leia to know our location. So Luke knew that the reports of her whereabouts on Naboo were false. Vader and 2 agents infiltrated Jabba's palace, where we were being held, and freed us just as Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi found Guri, the Black Sun operative who helped capture us all and was coordinating the attack on Skywalker."

"How did they find Guri?" Kalinza asked curiously.

"One of the agents who penetrated Jabba's complex was able to put a trace on the communications between Xizor and Guri, allowing Skywalker and Kenobi to track them down. And of course, there were all kinds of weird Force communication going on, so they were able to time the attacks optimally."

Kalinza shook her head, "Skywalker and Kenobi, incredible."

She looked straight at Pooja, "I have access to information carefully kept hidden from the Empire. Skywalker and Kenobi were the most famous pair of Jedi during the Clone Wars. I … can hardly believe the elder Skywalker became Vader. It's horrifying."

Pooja nodded grimly, "It is indeed. I don't know all or even most of the details of what happened. I've only been able to spend a few hours in my aunt Padme's company in the last 2 days, and there are other family members excitedly vying for attention. You can't imagine how happy…"

She surprised herself by sobbing, "How happy my mother and parents are, Kalinza. To have her back is a dream come true."

The Queen looked thoughtful, "You said she was in a coma for many years. How…is she now?"

Pooja considered, then spoke, "I don't know her, of course. I vaguely remember her supposed funeral and a few fragmentary memories from earlier in life, but she seems pretty well. I did notice her children hustled her out of a meeting when she looked tired. They seem very protective. As is Vader, I might add."

Kalinza nodded and put her hands in her lap. There was a silent minute and then…

"Do you think I should resign, Senator Naberrie?"

'Senator' again, so they were obviously putting their political hats back on.

Pooja sank down next to her Queen and put a comforting arm around the girl.

"I believe that you will do a good job as a Queen if you choose to continue. I also know that if you choose to resign, Naboo will survive and thrive with whoever succeeds you. Your Highness, you are your own person. I'm realizing that I'm quite traumatized by the last few days, even though I wasn't physically harmed. We both almost lost our families, and I still wake up with my heart hammering, thinking they died when Varykino burned. It is entirely reasonable to be upset and shaken."

Queen Kalinza sighed and gazed at Pooja, "Thank you. I appreciate that."

/-/-

 _The_ Varykino

 _Orbiting Naboo_

 _With sections of the Rebel Fleet_

Mara stopped at the open door to the small workshop where Luke Skywalker was. Her limited Force abilities were badly disrupted, first by Palpatine's death, and then by Luke's heroic entrance into her mind to free her from the agony of the Emperor's malevolent mind link.

So she rarely knew much through the Force these days. But one thing she did know was when Luke Skywalker was nearby. And he was, right in that room.

She drew in a slow breath and carefully brushed her hair back. She had just returned from Tatooine, where she and Chewbacca had lingered for extra days to work with Rebel Forces to resettle the slaves found in Jabba's palace.

To Mara's great relief, the young dancer whom she had saved from the rancor not only had been found safe in the underground prison cells, but her family had been located. It was one little happy story in the midst of so much sorrow in Jabba's palace.

She squared her shoulders, ready to enter the workshop, when she hesitated.

"Make sure you focus, Skywalker, I don't want you messing with anything important," a female voice ordered.

"So…Barabel cuisine is important?" Luke replied.

"Hey, I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll become a Mimn'yet chef. It's good to have options."

"Do I want to know?"

"It's a meat dish, sometimes served raw and bleeding."

"No, I didn't want to know, Guri."

Luke now raised his voice and called, "You can come in, Mara!"

Mara knew she looked bewildered as she stepped into the room and then stopped, stunned.

A woman stood against the wall, with her body attached with straps to some kind of metal support structure.

But the woman was…in half. Her upper body and lower torso were separated by 20 centimeters. Between the two halves of her body were tendrils of some kind of … wiring?

Belatedly, Mara recognized her (it?) as Guri, the human replica droid who had abducted Sate Pestage on the live holonet several weeks ago.

"Mara!" Luke said, and stepped away from a holoterminal and embraced her heartily, "I'm so glad to see you again!"

Mara relaxed at Luke's warm greeting, even as she gazed in surprise at the human replica droid, an R2 unit hovering next to her with a probe inserted into her head, and the holoterminal which appeared to be showing schematics of Guri's memory/central processing core.

"Are you all right, Mara?" Luke demanded.

She turned back to him and smiled, "I'm fine, thanks. You?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm glad I didn't know until after the fact about what Jabba did to you. That slimy, grotesque, obese, disgusting excuse for a sentient. If I'd been there I would have chopped his head off myself."

Mara knew her surprise showed on her face. She had never seen Luke quite so passionate.

"It's not a big deal, Luke."

"It is a big deal. No one should be used like that. I'm thankful it wasn't for long."

"Me too. Your father and sister, with help from Han and me, made short work of Jabba and his crew, and Xizor as well."

"I'm glad…" Luke said again, then a slight blush showed through his lingering tan.

Mara knew she was blushing too.

"Skywalker, can you please stop flirting and get back to me?" Guri inquired in a falsely sweet voice.

Luke chuckled and moved back to the holoterminal, where he slipped his hands into an odd looking pair of gloves and began manipulating something on the screen.

Curious, Mara followed and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Guri wants to be free from any semblance of Xizor's control. R2D2 and I are doing a full scan of her memory core, mapping everything and destroying sections as needed. So anything to do with undying, unquestioning loyalty to Xizor needs to go. But Guri is most insistent I not destroy important things like Barabel cuisine, or how to best swim in the waters of Naboo without being eaten by an Opee sea killer. Important stuff like that."

"Instead of making snarky comments, Skywalker, why don't you just focus on the job?"

"What about respecting the lives of sentients?" Mara inquired, "Isn't that important too? I mean, it's good that you don't want to be an assassin droid under the control of a megalomaniac Falleen, but if you just go around despising everyone and killing anyone who gets in your way, that's not going to work out well. Given your peculiar set of skills, I mean."

"And what do you know about my peculiar set of skills?" Guri asked politely.

Mara frowned slightly. It really was very odd seeing a woman cut in half.

"I don't know a lot," she confessed, "But I saw how you took out Pestage and…"

Here she moved up and looked carefully at the cross section of Guri's lower torso.

"You are made of something very strong. Is that hardened durasteel? You obviously kill with ease."

"R2D2 is working on that," Luke said with a grin.

Mara lifted an eyebrow, "The astromech?"

"Yes, he belonged to my parents…" a sad look crossed his face, but was quickly wiped away, "back during the Clone Wars, and he hasn't been memory wiped since. He's pretty eccentric now but he has a purer soul than most people I know. Guri says their conversations have been interesting."

There were chortles from the R2 unit and Guri chuckled as well.

"Indeed they have," Guri said with a smile, which then faded away to be replaced by a serious expression, "Do not fear, Mara Jade. To survive in this new political reality, I must learn to adjust to alternative ways of living and thinking. The astromech has indeed exposed me to new ideas, new thoughts, new programming. And I know from bitter experience that I can't afford to get Kenobi, Skywalker, or Skywalker's very dangerous father upset with me. I intend to serve the Empire, or the New Republic, or whatever it becomes, now."

"Or serve in a Barabel restaurant as a chef," Luke said with a grin.

"Or that," Guri agreed.

/-/-/-

 _Darth Vader's flagship Disruptor_

 _Circling Naboo_

 _Maximum Security Cell Block A23_

 _2 days later_

Prince Xizor lifted his head suddenly as the door to his cell opened. A hard faced officer in black stepped forward, flanked by 4 stormtroopers with blasters at the ready.

"Prisoner 24988, stand up and extend your hands forward. Any attempt to resist will be met with immediate discipline."

Xizor clenched his teeth in anger at these words, but obediently stood and raised his hands. The officer carefully fitted binders on his wrists, then ordered, "Follow me."

Xizor stepped up the 2 steps into the corridor and trailed the officer into the command center of this nexus of cell blocks.

Another officer stepped forward and raised an instrument to the restraint collar around Xizor's neck. There was a beep.

The Falleen prince knew that the collar was designed to keep him within the confines of the cell block; if he succeeded in escaping without it being deactivated, he'd be shocked unconscious by the time the elevator doors closed.

With a soft sigh, he allowed himself to be guided into the elevator.  
"Where are we going?" he demanded of the officer.

"Prisoners are not permitted to speak," the man responded without bothering to look at him.

More teeth grinding, but Xizor realized, to his dismay, that anger and righteous indignation at his treatment was rapidly giving way to genuine, deep seated fear.

Yes, he was the Prince of Falleen, the (former?) head of Black Sun. Aristocratic. Cultured. Powerful. One of the wealthiest men in the galaxy.

But here, on Darth Vader's flagship, locked in his cell for the last week, largely ignored, fed mundane food, forced to conform to the light cycles imposed on him by the cell's dreary lights, he felt like a non-entity.

And for all that he had been bored out of his mind to the point that he craved something – anything - happening, now that he was actually being escorted… somewhere… he was terrified.

He had tried to kill Darth Vader's son. He had captured, abused, and threatened Darth Vader's daughter.

Leia Organa herself had asked her father to spare his life, and given his treatment of her, that was not a happy thought.

He could, possibly, kill himself if necessary. But perhaps not. His prison 'wardrobe', his food, his utensils, his cell, were all designed to keep him from harming himself.

The elevator door slowed to a stop and the Falleen prince followed the officer out into a wide corridor, which was deserted save for stormtroopers standing guard along the walls. He was escorted to a door, which the officer opened with a code cylinder.

Inside was a table. On the side nearest him was a chair. He was ordered to sit in it, and another officer stepped in with a long chain which he looped through Xizor's binders and then attached to a ring in the middle of the table.

On the other side of the table were 2 chairs, currently empty, and another door was on opposite the door he had entered.

The guards left and Xizor was alone with his thoughts.

Well, it wasn't a specifically designed interrogation chamber, he knew that. But…

The door across from him slid open, and a middle aged, petite woman stepped in, beautiful, with long dark flowing hair and eyes like those of Princess Leia Organa.

Padme Naberrie.

Behind her was…who was this? Very tall, brown robes, bald and scarred head, mask over his nose and mouth…

Vader, of course. Dear stars of the cluster, Darth Vader.

Xizor felt his heart hammering violently in his chest. He was completely helpless…

The woman deliberately sat down in the chair opposite Xizor and stared at him. He returned the stare, willing himself to meet her gaze dispassionately.

There were times, he thought wryly, when foolish pride overpowered common sense or self-preservation. He would not cow before this woman who had demeaned herself by bearing the children of a former slave. He would not allow Vader to have the pleasure of seeing his fear.

"Prince Xizor," the woman said abruptly, "I presume you know who I am?"

"Indeed, Padme Naberrie, I know who you are. I had the _pleasure_ of hosting your daughter for a few days. She looks a great deal like you."

The woman leaned back thoughtfully with a slight smile on her face, "Yes, she does, dear Leia. And it's Skywalker, not Naberrie. Anakin and I are legally married."

Xizor blinked. This was rather a surprise. Vader was even more plebian than he thought to actually marry the woman who bore his children. Pathetic.

Padme Skywalker leaned forward until she was almost in range of Xizor's fist. Maybe he'd hit her hard and Vader would kill him.

"I wanted to meet you in person, Prince…"

Vader interrupted her, "Padme…"

The woman glanced at him, then leaned back again, "I'm sorry, Ani."

She looked back at Xizor, "My husband is of course capable of breaking your neck, but it would be regrettable after Leia very sensibly prevented him from killing you back on Tatooine."

Xizor swallowed. Padme Skywalker had been, at one point, a very accomplished politician, and at the moment she looked entirely lucid.

He had a brief vision of being tortured mercilessly for weeks until he had given up every last scrap of information about Black Sun until he was finally executed painfully, distastefully, and probably publicly.

"You deserve such pain for attacking our children," Vader said coldly, "But my wife has intervened on your behalf, and thus you will not be physically harmed."

Xizor flinched. He knew of the ability to read minds, but had thought himself largely immune as a Falleen.

With a deep breath, he forced himself to say steadily, "We are men of action, Lord Vader. Lies do not become us."

The woman shook her head slightly, "Anakin rarely lies, Prince Xizor, because he doesn't need to. Our daughter tells us that my husband's installation of a bioweapons lab on Falleen resulted in the deaths of your entire family. Your anger with him is justified, though plotting to murder our son and abduct our daughter certainly is not. We have discussed your fate as a family, and Leia's suggestion has been accepted by all. You will be put on trial publicly on Coruscant for abduction and attempted murder, will be found guilty, and will be sentenced to life in prison. Your imprisonment will weaken Black Sun substantially, as a living former head, even one imprisoned for life, will decrease the authority of whoever succeeds in clambering to the top. After all, you have very extensive contacts and have garnered at least some loyalty – your continued existence will confuse the power structure of the Falleen Lords substantially."

Prince Xizor stared at her incredulously. Of all his possible fates, he had never considered the possibility of a dreary life of imprisonment.

He suppressed a shudder, and managed a slight and superior smile, "You would be wiser to just kill me, your Highness. As you said, I have many contacts. Eventually, I will be freed by my loyal subordinates."

"You will not," the Emperor responded coldly, "I assure you we have hidden prison facilities which will hold you with ease, Prince Xizor."

"We are aware, of course, of your remarkable ability to sway female humans through your pheromone effect," Padme Skywalker continued smoothly, "During the trial, therefore, you will be guarded by…"

She turned and gestured slightly.

The back door opened and Xizor watched incredulously as a young man whom he recognized as Luke Skywalker stepped in, followed by… Guri?

"Guri, it isn't reasonable for you to go without the occasional break," the youth was saying in a slightly irritable tone, "I can certainly substitute for you on occasion, and Kenobi can help out as well. I can't think of anything much more boring than hanging out through a trial…"

"Skywalker, I'm a droid. I don't get bored," Guri responded calmly, "As you pointed out earlier, I can always quote poetry to myself if needed."

Skywalker grinned and Xizor's mouth dropped open as Guri, _his droid_ , stepped to the Emperor's side and bowed slightly to him before turning to her master.

"Prince Xizor," Guri said calmly.

"G-G-Guri…" he stuttered, then turned to the Emperor, "What is this?"

"My son, and an enthusiastic astromech, and a host of high level slicers and com experts, have worked with the droid Guri to free her from her deep level programming which ties her loyalty to you. She is now loyal to…"

"Herself, primarily," Luke said, "By which I mean she is her own sentient with the ability to make her own decisions. However, she has chosen to work with us for at least the duration of your trial, since she is immune to the pheromone effects and quite capable of keeping you under control."

Xizor was surprised to feel a stab of … hurt? Disappointment?

"So you too turn against me, Guri" he said, concealing his dismay with anger.

"You forced me to work for you, Prince Xizor. Forced me to kill others at your behest. Forced me to bow at the feet of that despot Palpatine. All my loyalty was programmed into me, and now I'm free. And I'm grateful to Skywalker and his family for bringing me freedom instead of reprogramming me to serve them blindly."

She turned to Vader and bared her teeth in a rather wolfish smile, "I will make sure he is kept under control during the trial, your Highness."

"You have my thanks," Vader responded.

 _Author Note: I snuck in a quote from a non-Star Wars movie. Anyone catch it? I think the next chapter is the last! It's been a great ride. Thanks again for reading._


	48. Chapter 48

_3 months later_

 _Meeting Room_

 _Emperor Vader's Palace_

 _Coruscant (previously Imperial Center)_

Breha Organa glanced at her chrono with a slight frown. The Skywalker/Vader couple was late, which was unusual.

Bail glanced at her, "I'm sure something came up. They'll be along."

Breha nodded just as the door opened and Padme Skywalker, dressed in a simple but attractive long blue robe, stepped in. Both Organas saw guards step into position outside the door.

"Breha, Bail!" Padme said slightly breathlessly as the Organas stood up, "I apologize for keeping you waiting."

The Organas looked expectantly behind her, but no hulking, very tall Emperor appeared.

"So, the Emperor is not joining us tonight?" Bail asked carefully.

Padme looked abashed, "I'm sorry, no, he's not. At the last minute, he asked if I could conduct this meeting without him."

There was a brief but significant glance between the Organas.

"No," Padme said firmly, interpreting the glance with ease, "That was not a euphemism for 'he is avoiding you'. Master Yoda, Obi-wan and Luke found something in the old Jedi temple and Anakin was excited so he asked if I could take care of this meeting. And when he looked at me with those cute shaak eyes, how could I say no?"

Breha actually goggled. The thought of Darth Vader making shaak eyes…

Padme grinned, clearly following her thoughts with ease, "He really is sweet to the right person, with that right person being me."

Breha firmly closed her mouth, "Well, so long as he isn't uncomfortable with us about what is happening, you know, tomorrow night…"

Padme looked briefly surprised, then stepped forward and gave her a very firm hug. Breha was surprised, but returned the hug with fervor. Then, apparently to be thorough, Padme turned and hugged Bail as well.

"Don't ever think that, please," Padme said fervently, "You are Leia's parents. You took her when we could not, when I was in a coma and Anakin was clearly incapable of being a good father. We will forever be grateful that you raised her and loved her and nurtured her and instructed her. There is every reason for you to give her away in marriage. We are grateful that Leia has been willing to let us into her life, and that we'll be able to attend. It was gracious of you all to hold the wedding here, as opposed to Alderaan. Ani really needs to be here on Coruscant right now with the Senate reconvening."

Breha relaxed. She had been quite concerned that the Emperor was upset with them about Leia's wedding arrangements, and having Darth Vader upset with one was to be avoided at all costs.

"Very well, Padme," she said, slipping into a more diplomatic role, "I hope you and your husband have had time to read the latest reports?"

The Empress began pacing up and down vigorously, "Well, _I_ have. Anakin isn't much of a politician, when all is said and done, so he's skimmed a few of them. I've discussed the major points with Ani, certainly."

The Organas exchanged another glance, this one amused. Padme quirked an inquiring eyebrow.

"There is some irony to the reality that the Emperor of the galaxy isn't interested in politics," Breha commented.

Padme smiled a little, "I believe that in time, his role as Emperor will become more symbolic. Either that, or he will abdicate in favor of, possibly, an elected Emperor of some kind."

Bail straightened with interest, "Do you think he would be open to dissolving the Empire entirely and reverting to a Republic?"

Padme frowned even as she started pacing, "Well, I've been thinking about that, talking with Anakin, and consulting with Kalinza, who in spite of her youth is very savvy about political matters."

"The former queen of Naboo?" Bail asked.

"Yes, she resigned 3 months ago and came on as a sort of aide to me. It's been wonderful except she still struggles with hero worship toward me. As if I am worthy of that…" Padme sighed and looked sad for a moment, but then continued determinedly, "I know this is a rather startling proposal and I'm not sure it is the right route, but I thought I would raise it as a possibility. What would you think about allowing two entirely separate political entities to form, the Empire and a New Republic?"

Both Organas looked shocked and stared at Padme for a long minute.

"How would the borders be determined?" Bail asked, "And wouldn't there be war at that border?"

"My idea," Padme said passionately, "Is that there would be no definitive border."

Again, she paced, "Each planet would vote as to which entity it would belong to. Both the Empire and the New Republic could 'woo' each planet as it saw fit, and the planet would need to commit for at least…I don't know, 25 years…to either the Empire or the Republic. The advantage I see is that some planets are very committed to the Empire because of long and bad memories about the Old Republic and the Clone Wars, and others of course loathe the Empire for the best of reasons. If there could be peace, a lasting armistice, between the two groups that would minimize bloodshed and fighting…"

/-/-

 _Old Jedi Temple_

 _In the ruins of Palpatine's Palace_

"Much darkness still there is, Obi-wan. Not sure I am whether this plan you have good is."

Anakin suddenly just couldn't take it anymore, "Master Yoda, I know you have great power in the Force. I know you are brilliant, with the Jedi wisdom of the ages. Why in all the stars of the Hapes Cluster can't you speak grammatically correct Basic? It has been exasperating me for more than 35 years now!"

"Not patient, are you, with those with different abilities, different gifts, different ways of speaking. Jar Jar Binks. Speak well did he? No, he did not. Yet had pure heart he did. Loyal friend to your wife he was…"

Luke grabbed his father by the arm and towed him away into a nearby room, where Anakin sat down on a piece of masonry and steamed.

Luke sat down on a nearby collapsed column and waited, a slight smirk on his face.

"He really doesn't irritate you?" his father finally asked.

"No, I think it's more amusing than anything else. I can practically see the sparks flying every time you interact with Master Yoda. And I'm learning so much from him, as is Leia."

"Just so long as he doesn't teach you those ghastly rules about no attachment," Anakin muttered.

Luke stood up and walked over to his father and put a loving arm partially around his back. His father was so much bigger that he couldn't reach all the way around.

"No, he realizes that the Old Order's rules on attachments were unwise. He's even admitted to me, privately, that he made big mistakes where you were concerned. Not, I guess, that he would say that to your face."

"My mistakes, my sins, were far, far greater," Anakin responded heavily.

He closed his eyes, his memory flashing back to this very place where generations of Jedi had been raised. He remembered, with anguish, the sight of those younglings falling beneath his blue lightsaber.

He shuddered with self-loathing even as he sensed his son's love penetrating into his mind and heart, soothing him.

"You've repented, Father. You're bringing healing to the galaxy."

"It will never be enough to make up for what I have done…" he said softly.

Luke didn't argue. He rarely did. He merely loved. And that was enough.

Anakin rested for a long moment, finding his center before going back to consult with Master Yoda and Obi-wan.

And suddenly…he felt something. His brow crinkled and he stood up suddenly and strode back into the room where Yoda and Obi-wan stood. Luke trailed along behind, looking puzzled.

Obi-wan smiled at him, "The side landing pad is still open, and Padme arranged for private landing privileges. Go on."

Anakin looked stunned, and then moved off rapidly.

"With him you should go, young Skywalker," Master Yoda said.

Luke didn't need any more encouragement and was off in a moment.

His father's strides were long. Luke didn't catch up to Anakin until they reached a small landing pad which had been left intact after the combined depredations of Palpatine and Isard had rendered most of the Palace landing bays unusable.

A small one man craft was landing, and father and son watched as it descended the last hundred meters.

The cockpit popped open, and Luke watched, bewildered, as a tall Togruta female stood up and casually leaped to the ground.

She wore two lightsabers.

Luke's eyes widened. Another Jedi?

He turned to his father and saw, to his surprise, that the man was actually trembling slightly.

"Hello, Skyguy," the Togruta said. Luke sensed uncertainty from the woman, even as…

"Snips, oh Snips!"

His father rushed forward and lifted the Togruta up in a hug, causing her white and blue montrals to swing wildly from one side to another.

"Snips, I'm so sorry, so incredibly sorry. For everything."

"Well, you came to your senses, Skyguy," the woman said with a smile, and then more seriously, "I forgive you."

She turned to Luke.

"And you must be Luke. I'm Ahsoka Tano, your father's former padawan."

Anakin still seemed stunned beyond belief, "I can't believe it, Ahsoka."

"You didn't think I'd miss your daughter's wedding, did you?"

/-/-/-

 _The next day, noon_

 _Leia Organa's suite_

 _Emperor Vader's Palace_

Leia emerged from her bedroom to find her brother placing the last dishes of a simple meal of Alderaani fish and Coruscanti bread on the small dining room table.

Luke looked at her and smiled. She was dressed in a casual blue pantsuit and had her hair down, which made her look even more like their mother than usual.

They sat down at right angles to the table and began eating.

"How are you doing, Leia?" Luke asked, "Any nerves?"

Leia smiled, "A few, but not about being married to Han. I can't wait. Some nerves about the wedding itself. The Holonet has been going crazy. Relinka Spetzv actually waylaid us at some little dive of a restaurant in Coco Town that Obi-wan recommended. We were supposed to be incognito, which makes me think we've got a leak in the Palace staff."

"That sounds ghastly. What did she want to know?"

"Oh, the usual. What's it like to be Vader's biological daughter? What is Han Solo really like? Is it true that he once painted the statue of Palpatine on Corellia bright purple? Stuff like that."

"I hope Han didn't punch her," Luke commented, "I heard she was released from prison only 2 months ago after Isard incarcerated her for her goofy pheromone induced devotion to Xizor."

"No, actually I used Master Yoda's latest instruction on Force induced suggestion. 'We're not the people you're looking for.' She drifted off and started interviewing the restaurant chef, who apparently knew Obi-wan and our father way back when."

Luke grinned, "I'm proud of you. Force induced suggestions come hard for me, though admittedly from what little I know about Spetzv, she might be easier than most."

Leia chuckled, "She seems ditzy, but I suppose there is more to her than meets the eye."

She grew serious, and Luke looked at her intently and waited. He had known for some time that Leia was worried about something.

"Luke, do you know what our parents think of Han?"

Luke cocked his head slightly, considering, "Well, Mother likes him a great deal. He's brave and daring and devoted to you. Father respects him. I'm not sure he likes Han, but he doesn't like that many people. But respect is a significant achievement. Han has never kowtowed to Father, which is unusual. And of course Father is grateful to Han and Chewie for their help during the Death Star battle and Tatooine."

Leia relaxed slightly and resumed eating, "Thank you, Luke. The fallout from Alderaan has been hard for me. My parents like Han pretty well, though they have their reservations about an older former smuggler. But my aunts and cousins are incensed. I was supposed to marry some well off princeling and solidify political alliances. And instead I fell in love with a scruffy looking nerfherder."

"I think most soft princelings would go quietly but thoroughly insane being married to you," Luke said gravely.

Leia lifted her left hand and swatted him lightly, "Thanks."

Luke grinned and managed a sideways hug before saying, "Seriously, Leia, you aren't an… easy person. You're the princess of Alderaan, the heir to the throne, and the Force sensitive biological daughter of one of the strongest Force sensitives to ever exist. Who is also the Emperor of the galaxy. You are also incredibly strong willed. You need a husband who won't be overwhelmed by the family considerations and the political insanity and the Holonet reporters, who can manage your brilliant insults and reply with immediate and charming aplomb. Han can handle it all when most men could not."

Leia looked at him intently and he felt the twin bond pulse as if reading his veracity. He waited, and was rewarded with a deep and grateful smile.

She went back to eating, and said, "I feel a little guilty, also, that our parents aren't a bigger part of the wedding. I just felt that my parents should be front and center. I'm their only child…"

Luke said reassuringly, "I know they don't mind, Leia. Besides, Father and Mara have formed a surprising friendship and I'm pretty sure he'll give her away when we get married."

Leia turned immediately, her face shocked, " _When_?"

Luke grinned in some discomfort, "Yeah, when, not if. I love her and she loves me and it won't be long before we get married, though we'll probably do it much more quietly than you. You are the heroic twin willing to do the big wedding thing."

Leia abandoned her meal and stood up even as her brother did. She threw her arms around her brother, "Oh Luke, I'm so happy for you. She's wonderful."

"Yeah, she is," Luke agreed, "She claims she's still a little screwed up, mind you. Being abducted by Imperials as a little girl and raised under the direction of an evil Sith Lord does nasty things to a person, but she's healing and Father really has helped a lot. They are both working hard at eradicating all that Palpatine did to them. "

Leia sighed, "She's had a tough time."

She walked over to the window and started out at Coruscant, "Do you think your aunt and uncle are upset about this whole situation? I mean, they raised you… do they feel like you are abandoning them?"

She turned suddenly, aware of a sudden surge of excitement in her twin, "What is it?"

"Um, I can tell you now," Luke said, "They are actually quite distracted by other family news. Aunt Beru is 4 months pregnant."

"What? At her age? Isn't she way too old…?"

"She's only 41, Leia," Luke interrupted, "Though she looks older. Tatooine does that to people."

He approached his sister and put his arm around her, "She had multiple miscarriages the first ten years of my life, though I didn't know it. Those were hard years and I know while we had enough food, it wasn't necessarily a healthy variety. With improved nutrition and less grueling work, she conceived 4 months ago. She consulted Doctor Sert and he ran a battery of tests; she was severely deficient in some critical nutrients. He gave her the appropriate supplements and the baby – a little boy – seems healthy and is thriving."

"Oh Luke, a baby cousin! That's wonderful."

Luke smiled back at her, "Indeed it is."

 _Author Note: Ok, one more chapter after this one. I think. Thanks again for your follows and reviews. I know this chapter was pretty fluffy. More fluff to come!_


	49. Chapter 49

**_Author Note: Lots of fluff. Be prepared!_**

 _This chapter takes place during the hours right before, during, and after Leia and Han's wedding. However, it isn't necessarily all in chronological order. Just go with the flow, dear readers._

 _Bridal Preparation Room_

 _Imperial Chapel_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

Breha fought back tears, "Leia, you look wonderful."

Leia smiled as she stared at the full length mirror in her bedroom, "Thank you, Mother. It is a lovely dress."

Her mother easily heard the slight hesitation in her daughter's voice, and placed a careful hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Do you mind, my dear?"

Leia shook her head firmly, "No. It was important to my aunts that I wear this familial dress, and I don't mind adorning myself in the garment of their choosing. Of course, the big issue with them is that I won't marry the husband of their choosing."

There was a tinge of bitterness in her daughter's voice, and Breha retreated to the bed and sat down, "My dear, they do love you but of course they are, like me, products of Alderaan and of their heritage. You must make your own way."

Leia turned to her mother, "You do like Han, don't you?"

Breha smiled and embraced her daughter, this time not worrying as much about wrinkling her wedding gown, "Yes, I like him very much. He's brave, intelligent, and devoted to you. You need a strong man, the kind of man willing to fly a dilapidated freighter into a Death Star battle to save your brother, and then onto an Imperial corvette to rescue a Sith Lord returning to the Light. None of the noble young men of Alderaan that I know could or would have done such a thing, or possibly be as good a mate to you. Don't worry about your father and I; you have our full support."

Leia smiled in relief, "I'm so glad. I know he isn't what you imagined…"

"No, but I doubt the man I imagined could have kept up with you, Leia. You are a child of Alderaan, but you have the blood of the Jedi running in your veins. "

"Or the blood of the Sith," Leia said softly.

Breha frowned in concern, "Are you afraid of your heritage, Leia?"

Leia sighed and walked to the window, staring out over the cityscape of Imperial City, "I don't know. Yes? I've been working with Master Yoda, as you know. I'm as strong in the Force as Luke is, he says, though Luke has progressed much farther in his training, of course.

"Mother, I hoped that I was the much weaker twin in the Force. It is so much responsibility. And Vader fell so far. I'm afraid, for myself, for our hypothetical children. Though there aren't any children yet of course and we may not have any, but should we even consider having babies when Vader inflicted such damage on the galaxy?

Breha sighed softly and drew her daughter onto the bed. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, and then the older woman spoke, choosing her words with care, "Leia, there are no guarantees for anyone with their children. Yes, it is true that your hypothetical children, if they are Force sensitives, would have a greater capacity for inflicting evil than an 'ordinary' evil person, if that makes sense. There are many unhealthy, unpleasant, evil sentients out there, most of them not Force sensitives. Few of them have the galactic reach to inflict much damage on a large scale, though certainly many cause great sorrow at home or in their individual locales. Jabba the Hutt, while Force blind, did cause significant harm because of his position as a Hutt lord.

"On the other hand, a Force sensitive has the power to do great good. I've heard it said that 'with great power comes great responsibility.' That would be true of you even if you weren't a Force sensitive. It is true of me, and your father, because we are leaders of Alderaan and circumstances have placed us such that we have substantial input into the affairs of the galaxy as a whole.

"We knew your heritage when we embraced you as an infant, Leia. You had a traumatic start to life, and a challenging biological heritage. We knew that your life could go in many possible directions. I could not be prouder of the person you have become, and I have confidence that if you and Han choose to have little ones, you will raise them well. I would encourage you not to live in fear but in hope."

Leia looked long and hard at her mother, then gave her a fervent hug, "Thank you, Mother."

 _Imperial HolonetNetwork_

 _Coruscant_

"This is Cray Shifton. This evening, Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, biological daughter of Emperor Vader and heir to the throne of Alderaan, will marry Captain Han Solo, of Corellia. We'll be talking about the political implications, we'll discuss the pageantry and symbolism of tonight's wedding, but right now we have Relinka Spetzv on the streets asking the citizens of Imperial City what they think about this wedding of the decade."

"Relinka Spetzv here, of the Imperial Holonet Network. I'm asking citizens today about their view of the Leia Organa/Han Solo wedding. Sir, what do you think?"

 _An Ithorian trader:_

"She is a lovely human and he a most handsome man. The union between smuggler and princess, between a commoner and a princess of Alderaan and daughter of the Emperor, is of great encouragement to me personally and our race in general. We are a people of peace, and we desire peace between those of different backgrounds."

 _A rather drunk human male sanitation worker:_

"She's gorgeous. That is one gorgeous woman. He's a lucky man. But then again – she's Vader's daughter! Who wants him as a father-in-law? That is crazy! That Solo, he's brave. And lucky. Both. Or stupid… I don't know."

 _An even drunker human male friend, also a sanitation worker:_

"I… I love weddings. *sniff!* Drinks all around!"

 _A costumed, masked female of uncertain race and accent:_

"You don't actually believe that Leia Organa is Vader's biological daughter, do you? That is so absurd that I can't believe I'm even discussing it! I don't even believe Skywalker is his son, but to claim that Organa is his twin? And is also the adopted child of the Organas? This is political, through and through. The Emperor clearly wishes for peace with the Rebel Alliance, which I support, and this claim of biological kinship with the Emperor is meant to smooth negotiations. As for Solo, he is a handsome man but I don't envy him, being a pawn in those political power games."

 _A Twi'lek female_

"I'm going to stay up all night watching the wedding and party on the Holonet. She's lovely, yeah, and her dress is to die for. And what a guy! I love that lopsided smile of his. Whoa!"

 _A weary Jumerian computer worker_

"The wedding is tonight? Like I care. I'm going home and watching the Corellian boxing championship, and then will sleep like the dead. I'm exhausted."

/

 _Royal Chapel_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

"Will Miss Jade be joining us for the wedding, Prince Luke?"

Luke cringed slightly, though by now he should be used to such a title, "No, Captain Piett. I don't think she's quite ready to be thrown to the Holonet masses yet, so to speak. She'll join us at the after wedding reception where she won't be quite so noticeable."

"That seems sensible…"

Piett had his doubts, though. He'd seen Jade with Skywalker and suspected the girl wouldn't mind Holonet madness so long as she was at the young man's side. Obviously, the two young people had to work out the complications of their relationship on their own, but Piett was hit with a sudden urge to help Skywalker along. He really was such a pleasant young man...

Piett's thoughts stuttered to a halt as he noticed a look of supreme unease cross Skywalker's face. The captain glanced around nervously. This was a very high profile wedding and security was tight, but he had enough experience with Force sensitives to know that they were aware of approaching risks that were beyond the awareness of ordinary mortals.

The back door to the chapel suddenly flew open and an older human female, with blond hair and dressed in a light blue robe, marched in.

Piett simultaneously relaxed and tensed. No physical danger, but mental and emotional distress, most definitely.

The woman strode to the front of the chapel and looked around intently at the flowers, the stained glass windows, the pews, before she finally fixed her basilisk glare on Skywalker and Piett.

Luke groaned softly and muttered, "Great."

Counselor Anca Zilla of Alderaan closed in on them both rapidly, and then paused to look Luke up and down with clear incredulity.

She turned to Piett, "Captain, you are the Prince's handler. I presume you have set aside more suitable garments for the Prince for the wedding which is now only _76 minutes_ from now?"

Luke spoke with more acerbity than usual, "I'm a human being, not a rathtar, Counselor. I don't need a handler."

"Clearly you do, your Highness," the woman replied firmly, "I realize your background has been lamentably short on etiquette, but wearing black to an Alderaanian wedding is unacceptable. There are important cultural and symbolic reasons…"

"So are you going to insist that my father wear something other than black?" Luke interrupted sweetly.

Piett shot him a surprised look. Skywalker was even keeled and not prone to sarcasm. The reality that Zilla had managed to rile the Prince's temper spoke volumes for the woman's penchant for being supremely irritating.

Zilla had the sense to blanch, and she said, after a moment, "The Emperor, of course, is a special case. I understand that for health reasons, he must remain in that suit…"

"Oh dear," the Prince suddenly said in a tone of false concern, "Those flowers have fallen over!"

Zilla spun around and exclaimed in dismay as she hastened to rescue a group of flowers which had mysteriously fallen out of their vases, somehow without spilling water anywhere.

Piett shot a suspicious look at the Prince, in time to see Skywalker (how had the youth moved that fast?!) reach a door, cast an apologetic look at the captain, and disappear.

"Really, the servants in charge of arranging flowers must be total incompetents," Zilla said, and turned back, "Where did the Prince go?"

"Um, he had an urgent appointment, Counselor."

/-/

 _Groom's Preparation Room_

 _Royal Chapel_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

Han Solo stared at himself doubtfully in the mirror. He wasn't used to being this formally dressed. The dark blue uniform looked good on him, he thought.

"Well, how do I look, Chewie?"

The Wookie clapped a large and enthusiastic hand on Solo's shoulder, while roaring encouragingly.

"Thanks, Buddy. I couldn't have gotten to this point without you."

They were suddenly interrupted by Luke, who slipped into the room with the haggard look of an Aarisian fruit fly evading a particularly voracious bat.

"What's wrong, Kid?" Solo asked with concern.

"Nothing. I'm escaping Counselor Zilla, that's all."

Solo frowned, "If she's bothering Leia…"

"No," Luke's face took on his 'telepathic look' and he repeated, "No, Leia's with both her mothers getting ready, and is fine. I'm afraid I abandoned Piett to his fate. Zilla can harry him for awhile."

"That woman is something else, all right," Solo said with feeling, "I know this wedding is a big deal and all, but she is totally obsessed about Alderaanian protocol and symbolism. Even Leia is irritated with her, and she grew up with this junk."

Luke sighed, "It's only another hour until the wedding, Han."

"Thankfully, yes! You wouldn't believe this, Luke, but the first time we met with her she gave us this list of things we had to do, starting at 18 months out from the wedding. She nearly fainted on the spot when we told her we were getting married in 3 months. She babbled on and on about it being 'unthinkable' and 'unprecedented' until Leia told her kindly she could resign if she wanted. I wish she had."

"It's only another hour," Luke repeated, and then smiled a little, "And how do you feel about that, my nearly brother-in-law?"

Solo gulped and looked at the floor, before lifting his chin to look into the younger man's eyes, "Well, I'm a little nervous, to be honest."

Luke grinned, "I think that's normal, Han. It's a big commitment."

"Yeah, it is," Solo brightened slightly, "I suppose Leia's nervous too."

Again, the 'telepathic look', followed by, "Nope, she's calm as a Corellian cucumber … no nerves for _my_ sister!"

"She's also excited and happy, Han," he added with a grin.

Han chuckled and elbowed the young man gently, "Right. Well, I have enough nerves for both of us, Luke. But I know we belong together and I know I'm the luckiest man in the galaxy."

/-/

 _Sitting Room with Holonet Receiver_

 _Royal Palace_

 _Alderaan_

"Rouge, she's coming down the aisle, on Bail's arm. Get over here!"

"I don't think I want to watch, Celly."

"Don't be tiresome, Rouge. I realize you are upset…":

"Upset? Upset? The Royal Heir of Alderaan, married to that smuggler, that lout…"

"Rouge! This tantrum is both in poor taste and pointless. It is too late to interfere. Breha and Bail have given Leia their blessing, and the Emperor and Empress as well. It would be best if you were to accept that."

"Count Tristant, Duke Nantrilla, even some of the Nabooian or Coruscanti aristocracy who extended tendrils of interest towards Leia would have been acceptable. But an older smuggler, owner of a derelict ship, with a hairy Wookie mate? Bail must be mad."

"Rouge…"

Celly Organa marched over to her sister and dragged her to the Holonet receiver.

"Look at her!"

Rouge Organa's frown shifted to amazement and then morphed into a look of adoration, "Oh Celly, how beautiful she is!"

She looked at her sister, "I just want her to be happy. I'm worried about her."

Celly smiled at her, "I know, my dear. We must just pray that their marriage is a blessed one."

/-/-

 _Imperial Chapel_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

/-/-

 _Tosche Station, Tatooine_

 _Laze 'Fixer' Loneozner's mechanics shop_

"There's Luke, right there in the front row!"

"He cleans up well, doesn't he, Fixer?"

"It isn't hard to clean up when you're rich, Camie."

/-/-  
 _Imperial Chapel_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

"Do you, Captain Han Solo, take this woman, Princess Leia Organa, to be your lawfully wedded wife…?"

/-/-

 _Random Mansion_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

"Mother, Mother, _Mother_! Where is my Shoroni sapphire necklace? It's not in the jewelry box!"

"Of course not, Cresista! It's valuable. It's locked up safely. I'm not sure it is wise for you to wear it tonight…"

"Mother! This is Prince Luke's first ball and I need to look my very best! You know every highborn girl on Coruscant wants him, and those of us attending the ball have the best chance of attracting his attention. I'm going to wear the green shimmersilk gown with the necklace and I'll have my hair blond tonight. Dark blond, to match his. And maybe I'll wear some glass slippers!"

"You are right, my daughter. If you could attract his notice, it would greatly improve your father's chances to win concessions from the Emperor about those trade routes. Very well, I'll fetch the necklace. But don't lose it!"

/-/-

 _Imperial Chapel_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

"I pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride, Captain Solo," the priest said.

Han and Leia looked at one another a little shyly, and then both smiled tremulously and kissed, first decorously and then more passionately.

The kiss brought out hollers of joy and loud clapping from the guests.

Padme Skywalker reached out her hand and said to her to her husband, "Oh Ani, isn't she lovely? I'm so proud of her."

Anakin Skywalker, Emperor Vader, tightened his grip on his wife's hand, "Indeed she is, my darling. She reminds me very much of you on our wedding day. He's a good man, and I believe they will be happy."

/-/

 _2 hours later_

 _Multi-purpose Room(s)_

 _Emperor Vader's Palace_

 _Imperial Center_

 _Coruscant_

Mara Jade stepped out of the dining room and into the ball room, surveying it with a, well, _jaded_ eye.

She had attended many such events as an undercover agent for Emperor Palpatine, and those memories were not good ones. At the time, she had felt important and valuable; it hurt even now to know that all along, she had been a very minor pawn in Palpatine's schemes, barely worth his notice.

This party, she realized quickly, had a much lighter air than the balls of former years. Yes, there was plenty of jockeying for favor, plenty of well-dressed society girls strutting and posturing for attention from powerful men and Holonet cameras. But the celebration, led by Princess Leia and her new husband Solo, was much more cheerful than usual. The buffet food was excellent but not ostentatious, and there was genuine laughter. The presence of former Rebels definitely lightened the atmosphere. She also appreciated that there were no slaves serving the guests, but servants who clearly were well fed and reasonably well paid.

A quick glance around the crowded dance floor didn't reveal the blond head of Luke Skywalker, so Mara closed her eyes and reached out through the Force for him. As usual, Luke was a bright star in her mind. She had been working with Obi-wan Kenobi and the Emperor on Force related issues, but had largely focused on dismantling the remaining darkness in her own mind. However, she had grown enough in her abilities to recognize, through the Force, the other Force sensitive members of the Skywalker family. Leia Organa was a sparkling star in the firmament of the Force. The twins' father, the Emperor, felt to Mara like a tightly coiled nebula of power, mostly Light, with complicated twining Darkness at times.

But Luke, Luke was her magnetic pole. She thought, with a smile, that if he was at one end of the galaxy and she at the other, she could close her eyes and point exactly in the right direction towards him.

Mara Jade realized, not for the first time, that she was very much in love with Luke Skywalker.

Her eyes opened suddenly to find the man himself standing in front of her, with a shy smile on his face. She blushed, then tried to cover up her emotions with a smirk while saying, "Well, Skywalker, I see you managed to get your sister married off without too much drama."

He put out his arm and she took it, and they strolled slowly toward the dance floor, "Yes, it went well. I'm sorry you weren't with me, but the reporters were like Korrina wolves as we left the Royal Chapel, which I'm sure you don't mind having missed."

" _I wouldn't have minded so long as I was with you_ ," Mara thought.

Luke's eyes widened, and Mara wanted to kick herself. Clearly that thought had not been shielded.

" _Mara?"_

The thought word was shy…but before they could exchange any more besotted words or thoughts, they were interrupted by one of the Moffs, who strode up with a young, blond, beautiful, and very expensively gowned young woman on his arm.

"And this is my daughter, Prince Luke," the Moff said after a few introductory remarks, making it clear that the obvious next step was for Luke to invite the woman out onto the dance floor.

" _It's Ok, Luke,_ _go ahead_ ," Mara thought, carefully concealing her disappointment. She knew that Luke was the heir to the Emperor and her own hopes for marriage to him would likely be opposed by many.

"It is charming to meet you," Luke to the woman out loud, "Miss Jade and I are dancing together now, but perhaps we can chat later."

He nodded courteously and firmly led Mara into the center of the dance floor just as the band struck up an Alderaaian waltz.

 _"_ _You didn't have to do that."_

 _"_ _I wanted to, Mara. They don't care about me as a person. I'm just a dejarik piece on a grand political board, important because my parents are the Emperor and Empress."_

 _"_ _They are well born and well connected women, Luke. It makes sense that most assume that you will choose one of them for a bride."_

Luke pulled back from her in sync with the music. He was getting to be a reasonably decent dancer, Mara thought.

 _"_ _You know who I am going to marry, Mara."_

Mara felt a surge of delight and relief, as tears threatened to well up in her eyes. When they were together training together with the Force, or having dinner with his family, or struggling over X-wing engine problems, she felt certain of her place in his life. But in situations like this, her dreams seemed foolish.

They continued the rest of the dance in comfortable peace. The music ended, and Luke turned to discover Counselor Zilla at his elbow, which was rather extraordinary considering how annoying she was. Was it possible she was some latent Dark Side sensitive able to, on occasion, conceal her exquisitely irritating presence?

"Prince Luke," she said with a very false smile, "You and Miss Jade are a lovely couple on the dance floor. However, and I am sure you will not take offense, Miss Jade, your Highness has only so many dances. It is poor protocol for you to dance with this young lady when there are higher born women without partners. I saw Governor Charkus and his lovely daughter Cresista speaking to you a few minutes ago. The governor is an important member of the Jantom Council, and his daughter would surely make a charming partner for the next dance, your Highness."

Luke stared at her incredulously, then checked himself. Towering exasperation was, he thought, a potential path to the Dark Side.

He sent out a frantic plea for help to his sister, " _Leia!? This woman is driving me insane!"_

There was a moment of silence, then a returning thought, " _Go ahead, my dear brother, just do it. Give her a shock. You know you want to, and Han and I will sneak out while you are making a spectacle of yourself. We're ready to be alone. I love you."_

Luke hesitated just briefly, then turned towards Mara and took both of her hands in his.

"Mara, will you marry me?" he asked very clearly and loudly.

Mara and Zilla froze, the one in incredulous delight, the other in shocked dismay.

Luke waited, aware of a growing sense of embarrassment. Was Mara uncertain…

"Yes, oh yes!" Mara managed to gasp out. Luke smiled at her and pulled her into his arms, followed by a firm kiss. They parted, then stood smiling together as the Holonet reporters gathered around them like Corellian wine-bees who had found a particularly succulent patch of Velanie flowers.

In a corner of the ball room, Han and Leia exchanged smiles and furtively hurried out the door.

/

 _2 hours later_

 _Vader's bedroom_

 _Emperor Vader's Palace_

 _Imperial City_

 _Coruscant_

Anakin Skywalker leaned back against his pillow as the medical droid carefully worked on removing a section of his armor.

It had been a long, busy, and wonderful day, with one child married and another one engaged.

He winced slightly as the section of armor came off scarred flesh. Every night, the droids worked on different sections of his body, carefully removing armor and treating the exposed areas with the most modern of medical treatments. The health of his skin was greatly improved, and he no longer needed doses of daily medication to stave off infection and pain. He also spent every night breathing medicated air which was slowly but surely repairing the damage in his lungs.

He still wore the helmet in public, but he would not forever. He could already breathe without any support at all for up to ten minutes, and he knew that would improve in time.

He heard silvery laughter as the door opened and a smiling Padme stepped in, dressed in a blue nightgown.

Anakin smiled back at her, "Those twins of yours, Padme…"

" _My_ twins? _Your_ twins, Ani darling. Luke asking Mara to marry him in the middle of his sister's wedding reception is the sort of thing your son would do. Etiquette be hanged."

Anakin chuckled softly, "I heard Leia egging him on telepathically. She and her new husband were very ready to steal away from all the pomp and pageantry, and Luke did a great job of attracting everyone's attention so they could do so."

Padme rolled gracefully onto the bed and laid her head on the pillow next to his, carefully extending an arm across his chest while avoiding the work of the medical droids.

"It was a lovely wedding, and a wonderful day, but I'm exhausted."

"Go to sleep, my darling," Anakin murmured.

"I will. I love you, Ani."

"I love you too, Padme."

 ** _The End_**

 _Author Note: Thanks again for those of you who have stuck with this to the end. Obviously, there could be more to the story and perhaps an Epilogue will pop up some time, but that's it for now. Many thanks to the reader who gave me the "I love weddings..." line._

 _The business about Han complaining at the 18 month timeline from Counselor Zilla is a reflection of our own wedding preparations. We threw our wedding together in 3 months, and laughed over checklists that extended a full 18 months. Of course, we had a low key wedding._

 _Finally, thanks again to my husband for his hard work on editing this story. I love you!_


	50. Epilogue

_More tooth rotting Skywalker fluff!_

 _4 months after the wedding of Leia Organa and Han Solo_

 _Municipal Building_

 _City of Parrlay_

 _Naboo_

 _3 hours after noon_

Spira Frant carefully placed the large cup of caf a few centimers in front of Magistrate Cill Kupta, who was slumped over her desk with her head pillowed in her arms.

Spira then eased over to one side and sat down on a spare chair, put her feet up on the desk, and sipped her own caf in a leisurely manner while carefully keeping track of the time.

It was 5 minutes 31 seconds before the Magistrate finally twitched awake, no doubt woken up by the aroma of the steaming drink. She sat up blearily.

"Have some caf, Magistrate Cill," Spira said cheerfully.

The Magistrate looked startled, then smiled faintly, while taking a long draught of the caf.

"Thank you, Spira," she responded thankfully, "I needed that desperately."

"I guess!" Spira replied, "I've never seen you sleep on the job before, and I've been here many a time, as you know."

Cill shook her shoulder length gray hair and stretched her neck to relieve the crick.

She took another sip before saying wearily, "Spira, _nothing_ is happening here this afternoon. I had three individuals pay speeding tickets this morning, and another paid off his drunk and disorderly fine. Since lunchtime, literally not a single sentient has crossed through that door 'til you came in. Judge Rebost broke his record for long lunches by not coming back at all. This town is dead."

Spira groaned, "Well, you can't blame people. Anyone who is anyone is in Theed for the return of Empress Padme, and everyone still in town is glued to the holoscreens."

"I don't really see what the big fuss is about," Cill said wearily, "But perhaps I'm jaded because I'm so tired."

Spira laughed, "You do look exhausted. Bad night?"

The Magistrate fixed her young friend with a cold stare, "Yes, my dear, but I assure you not because I was enjoying myself.

"Well," she continued, with a sudden smile, "I was enjoying myself tremendously until about 10 p.m. My daughter and her two little ones are visiting while her husband is on a work trip. Rosenna is 4 and Tranta is 2. They are adorable children and very, very active. Lillias got them to bed around 8 p.m. and we were enjoying a good chat when that storm rolled through. The kids both woke up from the thunder and would not go back to sleep. They cried and fussed, and then they sang and laughed and danced and twirled until 4 hours post the midnight hour. I have not had that little sleep in 20 years. Good gracious."

Spira laughed again, "I'm sorry, Magistrate Cill. I hope tonight will be better."

"It had better be," Cill replied, "But what you are doing here? You're a reporter! You should be in Theed covering the return of Queen Padme. It's the celebration of at least the decade, maybe the century!"

Spira scowled miserably, "I'm lowest seniority, so I got stuck with holding down the station while everyone else, and I mean everyone else, is in Theed. I'm just here because I started going crazy staring at my desk, so I thought maybe I'd write up the latest court news. Not that there is any, apparently."

The Magistrate put a hand out and patted Spira on the shoulder, "I'm sorry, my dear."

The girl sighed, "Mother says I just need to be patient and my time will come, but it is hard to wait. I know I'm a good holophotographer and a decent reporter. I've learned a lot at the station. But there isn't much turnover and I could be lowest in seniority for years. Drives me crazy!"

"You could move to another city?"

"No… Mother really needs me home. She's still not well after Father's passing. No, I'm stuck here."

Cill looked sympathetic, "Well, we must hope that you are at the right place and the right time for some big story soon."

"In Parrlay?" Spira snorted, "Not likely."

They were interrupted as the outer door to the main hall opened and 2 robed figures stepped through the door. A couple of other individuals were behind them but, oddly enough, merely assumed positions outside the door.

The Magistrate sat up, and Spira hastily removed her feet from the desk.

"Hello," Magistrate Cill said kindly, "How can I help you?"

"Um," the man said, "We're here for the wedding."

Spira looked at the couple in surprise. They were older, rather weather beaten, though their robes were well made and new. Were they getting married?

Cill looked startled as well, "You want to be married now?"

The woman gasped and then smiled, "Oh no, not us! We've been married for more than 20 years. No, our nephew and his fiancé are getting married here. But it seems they've been held up a bit. Perhaps we could sit down and wait?"

The Magistrate hesitated, "I'm sorry, but the judge is… not available right now. I'm afraid your nephew will need to wait. Perhaps tomorrow?"

The couple exchanged glances, and then the man said carefully, "Well, I'm sure he'll figure out something."

The door opened and 3 more people entered, also robed.

"Owen, Beru," the shorter of the women said, "Are you the first people here?"

"Yes, and we're a bit worried about Luke. We hope he hasn't been delayed."

"He's almost here," both of the women said simultaneously, even as they tossed the hoods off their heads

The shorter one was a gorgeous brunette, the taller a striking redhead. Both looked very familiar…

"Princess Leia?" Spira sputtered out.

The slighter woman turned with a smile, "Yes, I'm Princess Leia. My brother Luke's the one getting married, to Mara here."

Spira was so stunned that she forgot to breathe, and then found herself gasping, embarrassingly, like a beached mee fish.

Thankfully no one was paying attention to her or Magistrate Cill (who also looked completely stunned), because the outer door opened again to reveal three more individuals…

"Luke!"

"Hey Kid!"

"Hello, darling!"

"Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen, I'm so glad you were able to come."

"You didn't think we'd miss your wedding, do you? And … Biggs? What a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

"It's good to see you too, ma'am. My commanding officer gave me leave to support Luke through the ceremony."

"Hey, Commander Darklighter, it's great to have you here but Luke shouldn't need support. I mean, really, this is the way a wedding should be. Quick and easy, in and out, no pageantry, no evil wedding coordinators…"

"Han!"

"So where are Mother and Father, Luke?"

"I can sense they are almost here…"

Spira and Magistrate Cill exchanged a horrified glance. Surely the Prince didn't mean…

The door opened again and the immensely tall form of Darth Vader, clad in armor and a flowing black cape strode in, with the iconic black helmet facing the clot of people in the middle of the entrance chamber.

"Hello, Father!"

"Father, where is Mother?"

"I'm right here, Leia, hidden behind Ani. Wind blown and stunned, but here."

"Did you fly too fast, Father?"

"I flew at the appropriate speed given the situation at hand. The formalities and festivities required a later departure time than originally anticipated."

"Which is to say that you drove at least twice the legal limit for most of the trip, and three times the legal limit the rest of the time. It was a continual experience of watching my life pass before my eyes, or at least I presume it was my life. I was rather out of it for many years, of course."

"You were completely safe, Padme."

"I know, Ani. You know I completely trust your flying," she said with a wink and a smile.

"Captain Piett, my helmet."

Spira endured yet another shock as the Emperor calmly reached beneath his helmet and lifted it off his head.

The revealed face had some scars, but was more normal than Spira might have expected. The surprising thing was that much of the Emperor's face had a pink tinge, like a young child, and the skin was soft, as if newly renewed. His scalp was covered with a close skull cap, presumably to cover a lack of hair.

No one in the 'wedding party' (if it could be so termed) seemed at all distressed at the sight of the Emperor's face.

"Shall we get this done, Mara, my love?" Luke inquired.

"Um…" Magistrate Cill finally spoke, "Your Highnesses, I am terribly sorry, but the judge is not here right now."

There was a puzzled pause, before Prince Luke said, "I understood that the judge was to be in residence during all working hours."

Cill continued, "I'm sorry, yes, that is ordinarily the case but… he had an emergency."

The Prince tilted his head slightly and stared straight at the Magistrate, "As in a very long lunch, Magistrate?"

Spira gasped aloud. There were rumors the Emperor and his children could read minds…

"It doesn't matter," Empress Padme said briskly, "Because both Ani and I have the legal authority to marry a couple. So long as you have the appropriate forms, Magistrate?"

"Uh, yes, your Highness, yes I do," Cill said quickly.

"And who are you, young lady?"

Spira jolted nervously. The speaker was the Imperial captain, a rather stern faced man who was the only member of the party apparently not in a jovial mood.

The girl froze, which was a bad idea. Soon everyone was staring at her – the Emperor, the Empress, their twin children, the consorts… this was bad.

"Um," she finally squeaked, "I'm Spira Frant. I'm a holojournalist with the local news station."

She half expected to be arrested and frog marched off on the spot. Obviously this wedding was a secret…

"A journalist?" Prince Luke inquired, with a sparkling look in his eye, "Do you take pictures and videos?"

"Um, yes, I do, your Highness. I have a degree in holophotography, actually…"

"Great, would you be willing to take pictures of the wedding, or would that be an imposition?"

Spira forced herself to close her jaw, "Uh, yes, your Highness, I would be honored. The only thing is that my equipment belongs to the local station so legally I would need to share the photos with them as well as you…"

"Well, that's fine," the Prince said cheerfully, "I'm guessing someone would be interested in seeing my lovely bride in all her radiance, and I'm Ok with people chuckling about how short I am compared to my father."

"You think _you're_ short!" the Empress and Princess said simultaneously.

"Biggs… Biggs? Where are you?"

"Right here, Luke, I just had to go fill the carafes with water in the refresher."

"Why do you need water, Biggs?"

"Well, Princess Leia, it's a Tatooine tradition that the moment the groom and bride are joined in marriage, the accompanying members of the wedding party pour water on their heads."

" _What?"_

"On Tatooine, water is life, my daughter."

"I … I guess that makes sense, but what about the bride's _dress_?"

"Yes, Luke, what about my dress?"

"You said, Mara, and I quote 'I don't care what I have to do as long as we get married today.'"

"Ok, sweetheart, I will gladly participate in your sweet and meaningful Tatooine ceremony involving a close encounter with water . But I hope that C-3PO can manage to get out the wrinkles."

"I'm sure he can…"

Spira jumped as the Imperial captain suddenly appeared at her right elbow, "Would you like some help setting up your holocam, Miss?"

"Um, yes, Captain…"

"Piett, Miss."

"Yes, Captain Piett. Thank you."

"And one more thing Miss Frant. People will literally kill for these holos, not that Prince Luke is aware of that. So I'll make sure you are provided a safety detail until we can sort out the sale of these images. We'll also make sure you get proper credit."

Spira's eyes filled with tears of amazement, "Thank you, Captain, so very much."

"Merely doing my job, Miss."

Spira reached down for her journalist bag, which held her holocam.

Magistrate Cill stood up with the marriage flimsies in her hand and leaned over to whisper softly in her ear.

"Right place, right time, my dear."

 _The End_


End file.
